Michael Porter Jr. Tested Positive For COVID-19
After starting Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr. cleared his initial quarantine due to COVID-19 contact tracing last week, he saw his isolation window extended for an extra 10-to-14 days. The team did not disclose the reason for the new quarantine period when it was announced last week.
Tonight, head coach Michael Malone finally verified that Porter’s continued absence from the team was a result of his testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Kendra Andrews of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Nuggets could certainly use the 22-year-old’s contributions on the floor. After a 122-116 loss to the Nets tonight, Denver fell to 5-6 on the season and currently hold the No. 11 seed in a talented Western Conference.
Across four games, the 6’10” forward out of Missouri is averaging 19.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in 29.4 MPG during the 2020/21 season. Veteran swingman Will Barton has started in Porter’s stead thus far. Denver is next scheduled to host the Warriors in a TNT broadcast on Thursday.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Langford, VanVleet, Cross
Because so many Sixers players are absent as a result of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, the team is currently relying on its rookies, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Seth Curry is quarantining away from the team after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, and Vincent Poirier are all out due to the league’s health and safety protocols. With those veterans missing, rookies Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe, and Dakota Mathias have all logged significant rotation minutes.
Though All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons returned to action tonight in the Sixers’ hard-fought 137-134 victory tonight against the Heat, wings Furkan Korkmaz and Terrance Ferguson also remained absent. Embiid scored 45 points and pulled down 16 boards.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Because the Celtics have limited wing depth, second-year swingman Romeo Langford may still break into Boston’s rotation this season, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston writes. Forsberg notes that Langford is a solid perimeter defender, but must develop his long-range shooting to become a staple.
- Though the Raptors are currently the No. 13 seed in the East with a disappointing 2-8 record, newly re-signed 6’1″ guard Fred VanVleet continues to contribute to the level of his $85MM contract, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. VanVleet has been the club’s most steady offensive presence, averaging a career-high 20.9 PPG through his first 10 games. “I think the game is just really slow for him right now and that’s a good thing,” fellow starting guard Kyle Lowry said. VanVleet is also averaging a career-high 9.0 three-point attempts per night.
- Former Kings amateur scouting director Gene Cross has been added to the Knicks as a college scout, Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated tweets.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Horton-Tucker, Williams, Wiggins
The Clippers have seen their bench production nosedive during the 2020/21 season thus far, according to Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Los Angeles is averaging a league-low -5.3 plus-minus through its first 10 games, according to Swanson. This is a marked drop-off from years past, as former Clipper Montrezl Harrell was the Sixth Man of the Year for the 2019/20 season and longtime Clipper Lou Williams won that honor in ’18/19.
“We are going to figure that out,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said of the Clippers’ bench’s struggles. “It is a good problem to have, especially when you can get Marcus (Morris) back, who has been a starter and now is coming off the bench. You have that kind of talent coming off the bench, it adds a different dynamic to your team.”
There’s more out of California:
- Lakers reserve shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker, a restricted free agent in 2021, is expected to draw interest from several squads during the offseason, including possibly the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Mavericks, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Los Angeles possesses Horton-Tucker’s Early Bird rights. While the Lakers could technically match any offer for Horton-Tucker, an opposing team’s GM speculates that a rival club could outbid make it hard on L.A. “Teams that have a lot of cap space and are looking to gamble on a young guy, why not put your money into him?” the GM wonders. “The upside is obvious.”
- A rotation tweak by the Clippers has freed up backup guard Lou Williams, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports. L.A. coach Tyronn Lue and his staff have opted to surround Williams with four solid defenders on the floor.
- The 2020 trade deadline deal wherein the Warriors sent D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves in a package for swingman Andrew Wiggins and a top-three protected 2021 first-round draft pick continues to pay off for Golden State, according to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. After a rocky start, Wiggins has transformed into a solid two-way option on the wing to help fill the void left by injured Warriors star Klay Thompson. Through 10 games this season, Wiggins is currently averaging 17.5 PPG on 43.3% shooting from the floor and 38.5% shooting from deep, on 5.2 attempts. The 6-4 Warriors are the No. 4 seed in the West.
Wednesday’s Jazz/Wizards Game Postponed
The NBA is postponing tomorrow’s scheduled game between the Jazz and the Wizards, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Wizards will not have the minimum eight available players needed to participate as a result of coronavirus-related contact tracing protocols, Charania notes in a separate tweet.
This announcement marks the sixth game to be postponed during the 2020/21 season’s first 23 days, as Marc Stein of the New York Times points out (via Twitter). Tomorrow’s game between the Celtics and Magic was also postponed, as was yesterday’s game between the Mavericks and the Pelicans; the Sunday game between the Heat and Celtics; today’s game between the Celtics and Bulls; and the December 23 game between the Rockets and the Thunder.
Earlier today, Washington’s practice was canceled when big men Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner were both placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The other affected players have not been announced — it’s unclear so far whether Hachimura, Wagner, and others will be required to undergo a quarantine period of seven days or more.
The 3-8 Wizards’ last game was a 128-107 route of the 7-4 Suns on Monday.
League Swaps Rockets/Spurs In For Heat/Sixers Thursday
Given the Heat‘s multiple player absences expected for Thursday, the NBA has opted to substitute a Rockets/Spurs contest in for the originally-scheduled Heat matchup against the Sixers for broadcast on TNT, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Heat players Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Maurice Harkless, Udonis Haslem, and KZ Okpala will be unavailable due to the league’s coronavirus-related health and safety protocols.
Heat center Meyers Leonard will miss tonight’s game against the Sixers due to a shoulder injury, David Wilson of the Miami Herald tweets. His status for the Thursday rematch remains unclear.
Mark Medina of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that the Houston-San Antonio bout will be rescheduled to a 7:30 p.m. EST start time on TNT, and the Heat-Philadelphia game will be moved to a 7 p.m. local broadcast.
Mavs Expected To Have Enough Players For Wednesday’s Game
4:43pm: The four Dallas players listed below (Kleber, Richardson, Finney-Smith, and Brunson) and center Dwight Powell, will miss the Hornets game on Wednesday due to the health and safety protocols, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (via Twitter).
Since reports have suggested that four Mavs players have returned positive COVID-19 tests, it seems safe to assume that all but one of those five players tested positive.
On the plus side, Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis has been listed as probable for tomorrow’s contest in Charlotte, per Stein.
4:00pm: The Mavericks‘ Monday game vs. New Orleans had to be postponed by the NBA because the league was conducting a contact tracing investigation following a positive coronavirus test and wouldn’t be able to clear enough Dallas players in time for tip-off.
However, despite the fact that four Mavericks players have reportedly registered positive COVID-19 tests, it sounds like there’s a good chance Wednesday’s game with the Hornets will be able to take place as scheduled.
Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports (via Twitter) that the Mavs’ team plane took off for Charlotte this afternoon, while Marc Stein of The New York Times says (via Twitter) that Dallas is expected to have 12 players available for tomorrow’s game.
The Mavs have a full 17-man roster, so if they anticipate having 12 players available, that would suggest that only one additional player – besides the four who reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus – will remain tied up in the league’s contact tracing protocols.
We should get more clarity on the availability of Mavs players when the team releases its injury report for Wednesday’s game. While we don’t know exactly which four players tested positive for the coronavirus, reports have suggested that Maxi Kleber was among them. Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson were all self-isolating as of Friday, so it’s possible that one or more players from that trio also tested positive.
Kyrie Irving Not Expected To Play This Week
4:27pm: If the Nets determine that Irving has ultimately violated NBA COVID-19 protocols, he will lose approximately $410K for each night missed, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
3:45pm: Nets general manager Sean Marks issued a statement on the Irving situation, confirming that the team and the league are “reviewing the circumstances” of the video showing the point guard at a family gathering. Irving’s return date has yet to be finalized, per Marks.
“Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so,” Marks said.
10:32am: The Nets announced on Monday that star point guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest against Denver, making it the fourth consecutive game he will miss for personal reasons (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
Asked about Irving’s status on Monday, head coach Steve Nash said he didn’t have any updates, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Multiple reports – from Lewis and others – have suggested Irving’s personal leave has been related to his frustration over social issues, including last Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. However, as NetsDaily details, his absence has become further complicated by new videos that appears to show him celebrating a birthday (believed to be his sister’s) amid a large gathering of people, without wearing a mask.
Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews (Twitter link) that the NBA is examining those videos. If they’re found to be recent and constitute a violation of the league’s health and safety protocols, Irving would presumably be subject to a quarantine period when he returns to the Nets, like James Harden was last month when similar video emerged of him maskless in a nightclub.
Still, it remains to be seen when exactly the 28-year-old will report back to the team. In a separate tweet, Wojnarowski says sources expect Irving to remain sidelined for Brooklyn’s games against the Knicks on Wednesday and the Magic on Saturday — it’s unclear if his personal leave will extend through those games or if he’ll miss them due to an anticipated quarantine period.
Wizards Cancel Practice As Two Players Enter Health And Safety Protocols
3:33pm: Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner are the two Wizards affected by the NBA’s health and safety protocols and are currently listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Utah, as Fred Katz of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
9:35am: The Wizards have had two players enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, according to the team, which announced this morning (via Twitter) that it has canceled today’s scheduled practice due to “an abundance of caution.”
It’s not clear which two Wizards players are affected or whether they’ll require a quarantine period. The NBA has been cagey about providing many specifics related to its health and safety protocols, but those protocols apply to players who return a positive or inconclusive COVID-19 test, as well as those who may have had close contact with someone who tested positive.
This marks the fifth straight day that a Wizards player or a player on their previous opponent entered the health and safety protocols, notes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). The Wizards’ opponents from Friday (Boston) and Saturday (Miami) are each missing several players due to the coronavirus protocols. Washington played the Suns on Monday night.
For now, there’s no indication that the Wizards’ Wednesday game against Utah is in jeopardy, but we’ll have to wait for additional updates on the two players in the protocols and see if any other players join them.
COVID-19 Notes: Ferguson, Arcidiacono, Markkanen, More
The Sixers have been hit hard recently by absences related to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. As of this afternoon, they’ve added a sixth player to their list of those who are out due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
Terrance Ferguson, who was previously sidelined for personal reasons, has apparently returned to the 76ers, but will need to undergo a quarantine period before he’s cleared to play, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN notes (Twitter links).
Despite the team finding itself shorthanded, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers isn’t sure that expanding rosters for this season is the answer, telling reporters on Monday that he “probably would not be” in favor of that solution (Twitter link via Bontemps). While having more players available might help teams reach the eight-player minimum, adding back-of-the-roster guys won’t necessarily make a shorthanded club more competitive, Rivers observed.
Here are a few more items from around the NBA related to COVID-19:
- Ryan Arcidiacono and Lauri Markkanen, who have been out since December due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, are back with the Bulls, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN (Twitter links). Both players tested negative for the coronavirus during their respective contract-tracing quarantines.
- After Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week that one player tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time in the last year, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN say that multiple players have now registered repeat positive tests. Although the CDC has said it expects some coronavirus reinfections, there’s uncertainty about whether that’s the case here, according to ESPN’s duo — there were higher rates of false positives early in the pandemic, meaning some players who were believed to have the virus back in the spring could have been false positives.
- Jabari Young of CNBC takes a look at the financial impact of postponed NBA games and the problems that pausing the season may cause for the league’s advertisers and partners.
- In case you missed it, the NBA and NBPA announced this afternoon that they’ve tightened a number of COVID-19 protocols that apply to players and staffers. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter links) that imposing more restrictions on players isn’t ideal, but was deemed necessary. “Our experts have concluded that these new procedures will add to our arsenal of weapons against the virus,” she said. “It would be irresponsible and unacceptable to not employ new measures aimed at better promoting and protecting our players’ safety.”
NBA, NBPA Tighten COVID-19 Protocols For Players, Staffers
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to tighten several of the health and safety protocols related to COVID-19 for at least the next two weeks, they announced today in a joint press release.
The new, more restrictive measures are being introduced in the wake of a handful of game postponements since Sunday. Several teams around the NBA have had players test positive for the coronavirus within the last week and/or are missing several players due to the league’s contact tracing program.
The following changes will be implemented for at least the next two weeks, per the league and the union:
- While in their home markets, players and staffers must remain at home except to attend team-related activities, to exercise outside, or to perform essential activities.
- Players can no longer interact with non-team guests while at hotels on the road.
- Pregame meetings in the locker room will be limited to no more than 10 minutes, with all attendees wearing face masks. All other meetings involving players and staffers must occur on the court, in a league-approved space, or at the arena in a room large enough to social-distance.
- For team flights, teams must creating a seating plan to ensure that players who are closest to one another on the bench are also closest to one another on the plane.
- Players will be prohibited from arriving at the arena more than three hours before tip-off.
- Before and after games, physical interactions between players will be limited to elbow bumps or fist bumps (ie. no hugs or hand shakes). They also must avoid “extended socializing” and must attempt to maintain six feet of distance.
- Players must wear face masks on the bench at all times, except immediately after they come out of a game. Players checking out of a game can sit in “cool down chairs” at least 12 feet from the bench and at least six feet from other chairs. When they return to the bench area, they must put on a mask.
- Players will be required to wear face masks at all times in the locker room, during strength and conditioning activities, and when traveling with anyone besides a member of their household.
- Coaches and other staffers must wear face masks at all times during games.
- Any individual who regularly visits a player’s or staffer’s home for a professional purpose must undergo COVID-19 testing at least twice per week.
While all of these rules will be in place for at least two weeks, one source tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) that “that’s probably the minimum.” Some of the changes figure to remain in effect for the rest of the season.