NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have enough players to fly to Los Angeles and play their Christmas showdown against the Lakers, though Kevin Durant might not be among them.
Coach Steve Nash said Thursday that James Harden has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but he said the Nets don’t expect any of their players still in the protocols to come out in time for the game. That would include Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer.
The Nets have had their last three scheduled games postponed when a coronavirus outbreak left them with a league-high 10 players in protocols. Nash said Harden, Paul Millsap and Jevon Carter had also cleared protocols, though rookies Cam Thomas, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr. had since entered.
Teams need a minimum of eight players to start a game. Nash said the Nets have more than enough to do that.
But it’s unclear if they will have another practice before the game Saturday. Nash said it’s only in the past day that healthy players have been able to return to the practice facility for individual workouts.
“It’s tricky,” Nash said. “We haven’t been able to do a lot, but we do what we can and we’ll continue to just adapt as the rules and mandates come in.”
Nearly 100 players around the league were in the protocols through Wednesday, including stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Trae Young. All three are scheduled to be part of the NBA’s five-game holiday schedule.
