With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving among 10 Nets players added to the NBA’s health and safety protocols this week, GM Sean Marks said the team’s current circumstances necessitated bringing Irving back as a part-time player.Read More

Forward DeMar DeRozan said he spent his time in the NBA’s health and safety protocols symptom-free.

Well, not completely.

“The only symptom I had was boredom, honestly,” DeRozan said Saturday.

The action is about to pick up for DeRozan after he declared himself ready to return Sunday against the Lakers. He thinks he can pick up right where he left off before he was sidelined after the Bulls’ road victory Dec. 4 against the Nets.

“You try to do as much as you can, stay as active as you can mentally,” DeRozan said. “For me, just try to take it day by day. I didn’t try to look at the whole thing. Physically, conditioning-wise I feel like I’ll be fine. The last couple of days, I was just pushing myself as much as I can in the gym. Come back to the gym at night, morning time, just getting my rhythm, getting my wind up. [Saturday] was a good day of practice, so I’m confident that I’ll be fine.”

DeRozan was hoping his teammates will be fine, as well. The Bulls had 10 players go into the protocols.

On Saturday, the Bulls were able to get a practice in for the first time in a week, and they’ll have DeRozan, Coby White and Javonte Green back to face the Lakers.

Derrick Jones Jr. was questionable but out of the protocols, while Matt Thomas was doubtful.

Zach LaVine, Alize Johnson, Ayo Dosunmu and Troy Brown Jr. likely will be back after Christmas, coach Billy Donovan said.

Stanley Johnson was the 10th player, but he was a hardship exemption.

“It’s definitely exhausting just for the simple fact of missing games, watching my team go out there,” DeRozan said. “It’s just mentally exhausting seeing everything that’s going on around the league, just being affected by it. It can be frustrating; it can be confusing; it can be a lot of things at once. It’s just something we’ve got to continue to deal with, try to maneuver around it and make the most of it when we can.

“Most of the guys in our league try to follow the necessary precautions that we needed to take by getting vaccinated so we can be out there, take care of our health and just to be out there and play. That was a big thing for us, just to be out on that floor. For guys to be vaccinated, dealing with this, getting hit hard, it’s just frustrating.”

White agreed with some of DeRozan’s takes, but he was in a different boat. He had mild symptoms — a low fever, headaches and congestion — and was somewhat confused by the process.

After being sidelined all summer and for fall camp because of shoulder surgery, White finally returned to the court Nov. 15 in Los Angeles. He played nine games only to be sidelined again, this time with the coronavirus.

“Obviously, you want to be out there competing,” White said. “It sucks coming back from an injury, then you find out you’ve got COVID, and now you gotta sit out.

“But it ain’t nothing I never seen before. So I’m cool. It is what it is for me. I just use that time to grow as a person. I’m a big spiritual guy, so I just use that time to kind of grow my faith.”

NOTE: The Lakers will be without Anthony Davis for possibly the next month after the team announced he had a sprained left medial collateral ligament. The Chicago native will miss yet another homecoming at the United Center.

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So, what do you call five nationally televised NBA games in a row on Christmas Day, anyway? A quintuple-header?

And what do you call the very same lineup of games when you don’t have a clue which stars are going to play — or even which teams will be able to play — as positive COVID-19 tests pop up here, there, everywhere in the NBA and across the American sports landscape?

“Potential disaster” seems about right.

But that’s not just Christmas Day, when the Nets, to name one team, may or may not try to pull together a squad to face the Lakers despite everybody who’s anybody on the Eastern Conference favorites entering the week in coronavirus protocols. Lately — and, presumably, for weeks (months?) to come — it’s every day.

We know the Bulls, of course, already have had a couple of games postponed. Is this the week a scheduled game against the Raptors (on Wednesday) actually happens? We’ll see.

We know the Bears — like several other NFL teams — have had more regulars in protocols than the average player has fingers and toes.

The Blackhawks have had a game postponed each of the last two weeks. College and high school schedules are in constant flux, too. Take DePaul’s, for one sad example. The Blue Demons not only are unable to play their scheduled Big East opener against Creighton on Monday but — according to conference rules — have to take a loss in the standings by forfeit. For a long-beleaguered program off to a strong start, that’s a tough break.

And winter hasn’t even officially started yet?

For now, here’s what we think is happening:

SUN 19

Cowboys at Giants (noon, Fox-32)

QB Daniel Jones is out again for the G-Men due to pain in his neck. Backup Mike Glennon is in again, which, given the long drink of water’s shoddy play so far, is a real pain in the neck.

WNBA draft lottery (2 p.m., ESPN)

Who’s No. 1? The Fever, Dream, Mystics and Wings are in the running for the top pick — likely Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard or Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith.

Packers at Ravens (3:25 p.m., Fox-32)

The NFC North leaders are cruising. The AFC North leaders are trying to stave off what might be an inevitable collapse. And the Bears are thinking, “What we wouldn’t give to be trying to stave off an inevitable collapse.”

Lakers at Bulls (7 p.m., NBCSCH)

Russell Westbrook could be back for the Lakers, and DeMar DeRozan for the Bulls. Tell your cousin Earl to stay ready, though — either squad might need him.

Saints at Buccaneers (7:20 p.m., Ch. 5, Peacock)

With a victory, the Bucs clinch the NFC South title for the first time since 2007. That’s so long ago, Tom Brady wasn’t even receiving junk mail from AARP yet.

MON 20

The Raiders might be the worst team still alive in the playoff hunt, but the Browns had far bigger COVID-19 numbers as game time neared. Does the home team have a QB in the house?

Vikings at Bears (7:15 p.m., ESPN)

The Vikes don’t have to beat the Bears just once down the stretch; they get the Bears twice and desperately need a pair of “Ws.” But you know what they say: Just take it one Matt Nagy mistake at a time.

TUE 21

Washington Football Team at Eagles (6 p.m., Fox-32)

A pair of 6-7 teams and some Tuesday-night pigskin? Whatever sizzles your bacon, baby.

WCBB: Stanford at South Carolina (6 p.m., ESPN2)

Eight and a half months ago at the Final Four, the Gamecocks missed a layup attempt and a putback try in the closing seconds and lost to eventual champ Stanford by one stinking point. This season’s No. 1 looks for some payback.

WED 22

CBB: Seton Hall at DePaul (7:30 p.m., FS1)

The Blue Demons can’t finally make a little noise in the Big East if they’re taking “Ls” without even stepping onto the court. Warning, though: The Hall looks an awful lot like the best team in the league.

CBB: Illinois vs. Missouri (8 p.m., BTN)

Mizzou has won three straight in the annual Braggin’ Rights rivalry, but stick this on your bulletin board under the word “guarantee”: The overmatched Tigers are going down hard. (You’re welcome, Brad Underwood.)

THU 23

49ers at Titans (7:20 p.m., NFL)

Each team is coming off a game just four days earlier, which sounds really hard to do. Then again, the Bears pulled it off on Thanksgiving and, oh, yeah, never mind, that was against the Lions.

Stars at Blackhawks (7:30 p.m., NBCSCH)

After an 0-9 October that was even more miserable than it sounds, the Hawks have a chance at a second straight winning month. Hey, it beats a high stick in the eye.

FRI 24

“Billy Williams: The Sweet Swinger” (7 p.m., Marquee)

Sometimes, killing ’em with kindness is the way to go. Most times, though, Williams did it with his bat. An hour-long documentary produced by MLB Network and narrated by actor and Chicagoan Andre Braugher reflects on the life of the Cubs Hall-of-Famer.

SAT 25

Browns at Packers (3:30 p.m., Fox-32, NFL, Amazon)

Will deep-down-the-depth-chart Nick Mullens be forced into QB duty again for the Browns? And will he remember to politely extend season’s greetings to Packers fans after telling them he “still owns” them?

Warriors at Suns (4 p.m., Ch. 7)

You have to appreciate the way these teams just win all the time without a shred of diva drama. Not that the NBA appreciates them enough to put their game — one of five today — in prime time.

Colts at Cardinals (7:15 p.m., NFL)

Don’t sleep on the Colts, who are 4-2 on the road and have outscored their hosts by 10.7 points on average. Unless you ate yourself into an unholy stupor today, in which case, fine, have yourself a merry little snooze.

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Less than a day after deciding to bring Kyrie Irving back as a part-time player, the Brooklyn Nets saw their roster become further decimated with Kevin Durant and Irving entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Saturday.

The Nets’ roster has been crushed by COVID-19, with 10 players now in protocols, including Durant, Irving, James Harden and LaMarcus Aldridge. Brooklyn also will be without center Nic Claxton (wrist soreness) against the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The Nets play the Denver Nuggets on Sunday as part of a home back-to-back.

Nets general manager Sean Marks said the decision to bring Irving back, reversing course after deciding on Oct. 12 that the team would not have him as a part-time player but would welcome him back when he complied with New York City’s vaccine mandate, was prompted by the current circumstances that have ravaged the Nets’ roster.

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“The overall environment has changed as we’ve all known, drastically,” Marks said before Saturday’s game against the Magic. “I walked to the arena today, and there’s several lines out there for COVID testing, and there’s 200, 300 people waiting in line to be tested. So the environment’s changed. COVID has done a number on the team and on society in general, so that’s certainly changed. Managing our overall player load, that’s something we’ve gotta be aware of throughout the course of this season. We’ve seen large minutes that our guys have had to endure and play, and we’ve gotta look at what’s best for the team over the course of the season.”

Marks added: “Several months ago, we made a decision that was based around what was best for the team. What was best for the team at that point was continuity, and I think we all see that continuity right now, over the course of the last week, and whatever the future looks like may be out of the window for a while.”

Marks said he has not spoken to Irving yet about whether the point guard is open to getting vaccinated down the road now that he is rejoining the team.

“I have not talked to Kyrie about vaccination status,” Marks said. “I don’t think that’s been appropriate right now. The times I’ve gone to see him, these are about forming bonds and forming friendships and having conversations about the family, sometimes basketball and so forth. Like sometimes, Steve [Nash] has mentioned in the past that he’s talked [to Irving], but they never really talk about basketball, you know? We’re trying to continue that camaraderie and so forth.

“When he gets back here, I’m sure he’ll have conversations with, whether it’s myself and Steve or whether it’s with players, and so forth. But I want to get him back in the fold, and we’ll navigate those conversations then.”

For a player to be cleared from the protocols, he must return two negative tests 24 hours apart.

Irving, though, will have to wait before he can make his season debut. Before entering health and safety protocols, Irving had to return negative COVID-19 test results on five consecutive days before he could join the team because he is unvaccinated. And then he has to ramp back up to game conditioning.

“Everyone’s case is quite different,” Marks said when asked what kind of hurdles Irving has to pass before returning. “It’s affecting everybody differently, whether they have had vaccines, not been vaccinated, had booster shots, and to be quite frank, which variant they caught. So it’s a tricky one.”

Whenever Irving is cleared to return, he can play with the team only on the road due to his unvaccinated status. New York City’s vaccine mandate does not allow Irving to play at Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks. Also, Irving currently is ineligible to play on March 1 at Toronto because travel for unvaccinated players across the border into Canada will be prohibited starting in January.

Brooklyn has two road games at the Knicks remaining. That would leave 24 road games in which Irving would be eligible to play, if he is cleared.

Irving has not been with the team on a regular basis since the first week of training camp in San Diego in late September to early October. Nets owner Joe Tsai, Marks and the team made a collaborative decision in the preseason to have Irving be away from the team and not be a part-time player and a potential distraction.

Nash was asked about the concern of bringing an unvaccinated Irving back onto the floor.

“It’s something to consider,” Nash said. “Having said that, he’s a young man in great health. … The odds of him having something catastrophic happen are small. But yeah, this virus concerns me in every corner and aspect of its short life so far. That’s a concern, but it’s also a concern for the vaccinated. So it’s just something we’re having to live with in our world these days. And so we’ll proceed and do the best we can to protect and care for everyone.”

Marks says the Nets have not seen Irving on the floor yet to determine what kind of shape he is in. Marks said he assumes Irving is in good shape but will still have to ramp up once he is cleared.

Durant had to shoulder a massive load leading up to when he entered health and safety protocols. The league’s top scorer at 29.7 points per game, Durant also is among the league leaders in minutes per game at 37.0, the most minutes he has averaged in eight years, since he averaged 38.5 minutes per game during the 2013-14 season. Durant was averaging 41.1 minutes per game in his past nine games and had already been ruled out for Saturday’s game due to ankle soreness prior to entering protocols.

“I think our objective here is to win,” Marks said of the change in thinking in bringing Irving back. “Our objective from an organization, from a team, from the GM, from the coach, from the players, everyone knows what they’re here is to win basketball games. And at the end of the day, we’re sitting here faced with a roster that has been decimated over the course of the last several days. And I’m forced to make decisions and I don’t make those decisions by myself … but in essence this is the best decision for this team at this juncture right now with what we’re dealing with.”

Forward Paul Millsap entered the protocols Monday and was followed by Aldridge, James Johnson, DeAndre’ Bembry and Jevon Carter on Tuesday morning. They were joined Tuesday evening by Harden and Bruce Brown.

On Saturday, Durant, Irving and then Day’Ron Sharpe entered the health and safety protocols.

This is not the first time Durant has been in the league’s protocols for COVID-19. He tested positive in March 2020 during the season he sat out while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Last season, he was deemed to be a close contact of someone who had tested positive and had to miss four games while he was placed in a seven-day quarantine.

The Nets will have to wait for an undetermined time before they will be able to see their Big Three back on the floor again. They head to the West Coast on Wednesday to play at Portland on Dec. 23 followed by their Christmas game at the Los Angeles Lakers and then a game on Dec. 27 at the LA Clippers.

“We are just facing so many unknowns, so many variables right now,” Nash said when asked how the plan might work with a part-time Irving come playoff time. “The first one is that we decided to incorporate Kyrie. We will work on incorporating him on the court, off the court, all those different variables.

“But down the road, I don’t know what we’re dealing with, I don’t know what the protocols will be, I don’t know what the league will look like, what the world will look like. So the playoffs are so far off, I think we just cross the first bridge of getting Kyrie back and incorporating him into this group.”

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When the Bears launched their practice week Thursday, their roster was so depleted by injuries and illness that it would’ve been barely playable against the Vikings.

By Saturday afternoon, the outlook was much brighter.

While anything can happen leading up to kickoff Monday night, the Bears finished their walk-through with a reasonable resemblance to their usual starting lineup.

The best news: No new players tested positive for coronavirus.

“I think we’re good for today,” coach Matt Nagy said. “I think we checked that box.”

The key phrase all week has been “for today.” The one certainty during the pandemic has been that tomorrow is loaded with uncertainty.

“It’s spooky around here right now,” outside linebacker Bruce Irvin said of the daily uneasiness about new positive tests popping up. “It’s just been a lot of changes, but it is what it is. We’re still playing Monday, 7:15 p.m.”

The Bears’ situation improved Saturday with defensive tackle Eddie Goldman being activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. He could be joined by star Akiem Hicks, who appears close to returning from an ankle injury.

There were also eight players out due to non-coronavirus illness Thursday, but seven were back Friday. There were no setbacks among that group and apparently no additional spread of whatever they had.

If the Bears have Hicks, Goldman and Bilal Nichols up front, that’s a great start for dealing with Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who is third in the NFL at 97.8 yards per game.

On that note, they’re also optimistic about inside linebacker Roquan Smith being able to play through a hamstring issue. Nagy listed him as questionable.

With Goldman’s return, the Bears have 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. That includes four starters: wide receiver Allen Robinson, safety Eddie Jackson, cornerback Artie Burns and right tackle Larry Borom.

Backup quarterback Andy Dalton also tested positive, and the Bears signed former Virginia Tech quarterback Ryan Willis to their practice squad as a contingency. They also signed outside linebacker Ledarius Mack — Khalil’s younger brother — from their practice squad.

Any players on the COVID list must test negative twice in order to play Monday.

The same goes for all three coordinators. Sean Desai (defense), Bill Lazor (offense) and Chris Tabor (special teams) remained out Saturday.

Senior defensive analyst Mike Pettine, who has 10 seasons of experience as an NFL defensive coordinator or head coach, would likely fill in for Desai. Tabor essentially deputized assistant special teams coach Brian Ginn. And Nagy ducked the question Saturday, but it seems obvious he’ll call plays again if Lazor is out.

“No matter who’s calling it, we feel like the plan’s gonna be good,” Nagy said.

Even with good news on the coronavirus front and the potential of more players coming off the list by Monday night, the Bears still had their share of commonplace injuries.

They ruled out starting left tackle Jason Peters, and Nagy said rookie Teven Jenkins likely will start in his place. Assuming Borom remains out, they expect to activate Germain Ifedi from injured reserve to start at right tackle.

They figure to go without wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (foot) and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (shoulder). Both are doubtful.

The Bears are hopeful they’ve survived the worst of it and minimized their outbreak as much as possible, giving some closure to the tension.

“There’s always something new, and that’s a part of life in the NFL,” Nagy said. “It can try to break you down, but you’ve gotta stay positive and expect the unexpected and you deal with it full steam ahead. You stay positive and you roll.”

He might want to come up with an alternate expression to “stay positive,” but the spirit of what he’s saying is true. And at the moment, the Bears are in relatively good position to compete Monday.

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Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Saturday, December 18, 2021

BIG NORTHERN

Rockford Christian at Rockford Lutheran, 4:00

DU KANE

Glenbard North at Batavia, 6:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Nazareth at Marian Catholic, 12:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Morris at Sycamore, 6:00

NIC – 10

Belvidere at Belvidere North, 7:00

NON CONFERENCE

Addison Trail at Fenton, 4:30

Benet at DePaul, PPD

Boylan at Waukegan, 5:30

Buffalo Grove at Hampshire, 3:30

Conant at Maine West, 4:30

Crystal Lake Central at Wheeling, 6:00

DeKalb at Plainfield East. 2:30

Downers Grove South at Downers Grove North, 6:

Eisenhower at Chicago Christian, 3:30

Gardner-So. Wilmington at Ridgeview, 3:15

Glenbard South at Marmion, 6:00

Glenbrook North at Deerfield, 6:00

Hersey at Lake Zurich, 3:00

Hillcrest at Bloomington, 6:30

Jones at Dunbar, 1-29 PPD

Kaneland at Rock Falls, 6:00

Lake Forest at Oak Park-River Forest, 6:00

Lakes at Schaumburg, 4:30

Lane at St. Ignatius, 2-5 PPD

Lyons at Prospect, 6:00

Manteno at Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 3:00

Naperville Central at West Aurora, 6:00

Notre Dame at Mundelein, 4:30

Orr at Bloomington Central Catholic, 2:30

Ottawa at Princeton, 6:30

Providence-St. Mel at Walther Christian, 1:30

Raby at Mount Carmel, 6:00

Rolling Meadows at Libertyville, 5:30

Schurz at Hoffman Estates, 1-8 PPD

Somonauk at Aurora Christian, 7:00

South Beloit at Oregon, 7:30

Southland at Providence, PPD

St. Edward at Elgin, PPD

St. Francis at LaLumiere (IN), 5:00

Stevenson at Glenbard East, 5:30

Streator at Putnam County, 5:30

Wells at Senn, 2:00

Westinghouse at Timothy Christian, 6:00

Westlake Christian at Alden-Hebron, 7:30

Westmont at IMSA, 6:00

BRADLEY TECH (WI)

Perspectives-Lead vs. Juneau (WI), 9:00a

Legal Prep vs. Heritage Christian (WI), 10:30

Von Steuben vs. Milwaukee Languages (WI), 1:30

Perspectives-MSA vs. Milwaukee Science (WI), 3:0

Hononegah vs. Brown Deer (WI), 6:00

CRETE-MONEE

Harlan vs. Southland, 10:00

Hyde Park vs. Thornwood, CNL

Maine South vs. Romeoville, 1:00

Urban Prep vs. Rich, 2:30

Oak Forest vs. Sandburg, 4:00

Crete-Monee vs. Thornton Fr. South, 5:30

EUREKA COLLEGE

Eureka vs. East Peoria, 12:00

Peoria Christian vs. Teutopolis, 1:30

El Paso-Gridley vs. Metamora, 3:00

Roanoke-Benson vs. Gibson City-MS, 4:30

Marquette vs. Bearsdstown, 6:)0

Deer Creek-Mackinaw vs. Prairie Central, 7:30

MADISON COLLEGE (WI)

Yorkville Christian vs. La Follette (WI), 3:30

SIOUX CITY (SD) – SANFORD PENTAGON

Simeon vs. Dream City Christian (AZ), 11:30

Kenwood vs. Sioux Falls East (SD), 2:30

UNIVERSITY HIGH

Phillips vs. Clark, 12:00

Curie vs. Francis Parker, 2:00

University High vs. Lincoln Park, 4:00

JACOBS

Larkin vs. Johnsburg, 3:00

Cary-Grove vs. Streamwood, 3:00

Crystal Lake South vs. Waubonsie Valley, 4:30

Loyola vs. Grant, 4:30

Barrington vs. Prairie Ridge, 6:00

Marian Central vs. Jefferson, 6:00

South Elgin vs. Grayslake Central, 7:30

Jacobs vs. Bartlett, 7:30

LAS VEGAS BISHOP GORMAN (NV)

De La Salle vs. West Ranch (CA), 12:30

LITTLE VILLAGE

Morgan Park Academy vs. South Shore, 9:00

North Grand vs. Little Village, 9:00a

Ellison vs. Hope Academy, 11:00

Ellison vs. South Shore, 1:00

Hansberry vs. Little Village, 1:00

Hope Academy vs. Morgan Park Academy, 3:00

SCOTTSDALE HORIZON (AZ)

New Trier vs. Horizon (AZ), 4:30

STEINMETZ

Steinmetz vs. Intrinsic-Downtown, 11:00

Intrinsic-Belmont vs. Holy Trinity, 12:30

WATSEKA

Donovan vs. Tri-Point, 11:00

Illinois Lutheran vs. Westville, 12:30

Cissna Park vs. Hoopeston, 2:00

Peotone vs. LaSalette, 3:30

Mnamara vs. Iroquois West, 5:00

Watseka vs. Milford, 6:30

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LA Clippers starting power forward Marcus Morris Sr. has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is out against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

The Clippers said Morris was the only player in health and safety protocols. Forward Nic Batum recently returned on Dec. 8 after a stint in health and safety protocols following a positive test for COVID-19. Batum has missed the past three games because of an ankle injury.

Paul George has missed four straight games with an elbow injury. George and Batum were listed as questionable to play at Oklahoma City.

Morris was playing his best basketball. He scored 20 or more points in five of his past seven games and is averaging 13.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. Morris missed 15 straight games earlier this season because of a knee injury.

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Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

They give the Nets nine players in the protocols. Forward Paul Millsap entered the protocols Monday and was followed by forwards LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson and DeAndre’ Bembry and guard Jevon Carter on Tuesday morning. They were joined Tuesday evening by James Harden and Bruce Brown.

For a player to be cleared from the protocols, he must return two negative tests 24 hours apart.

COVID-19 concerns and the desire to pare back Durant’s hefty workload have led the Nets to bring back Irving, who needed to return negative COVID-19 tests on five consecutive days before he could rejoin the team even before he entered the league’s protocols.

Whenever Irving is cleared to return, he will be with the team in games only in a part-time role. Because of his unvaccinated status and New York City’s vaccine mandate, Irving can play only in Brooklyn’s road games in cities that do not have similar rules. There are 24 such games remaining on the Nets’ regular-season schedule.

On Oct. 12, the team decided it would not have Irving on the roster as a part-time player, with his return seemingly dependent on him either getting vaccinated or a change in New York City’s vaccine mandate. However, with the roster hit hard by COVID-19 in addition to injuries, Nets brass agreed to bring back Irving even in his limited role.

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Brooklyn had already planned to sit Durant for Saturday’s home game against the Orlando Magic to rest his sore right ankle. The league’s top scorer at 29.7 points per game, Durant also is among the league leaders in minutes per game at 37.0, the most minutes he has averaged in eight years, since he averaged 38.5 minutes per game during the 2013-14 season.

This is not the first time Durant has been in the league’s protocols for COVID-19. He tested positive in March 2020 during the season he sat out while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Last season, he was deemed to be a close contact of someone who had tested positive and had to miss four games while he was placed in a seven-day quarantine.

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to elevate testing for two weeks starting on December 26. Players and staff will be tested on game days except for those who received their booster shot 14-plus days earlier or recently recovered from the virus, according to a memo obtained earlier this week by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Additionally, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association are discussing a plan that would require teams decimated by COVID to sign additional replacement players, league sources told ESPN’s Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes.

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