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Vaccinated NBA players and coaches who are asymptomatic can now clear quarantine after six days if COVID-19 testing data shows they’re no longer at risk to be infectious, according to a memo distributed to teams Monday and obtained by ESPN.

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to the changes that will replace a protocol requiring league personnel to wait 10 days to test out of quarantine on a return to competition. The new protocol includes players, coaches, staff and referees.

Individuals also can still test out of quarantine with two negative results 24 hours apart.

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NBA players are testing positive and heading into quarantine at an unprecedented rate. As of Monday afternoon, 214 players have entered the league’s health and safety protocols this season, with 201 coming in December and 170 in the past two weeks. Six NBA head coaches have entered protocols this season, all in December.

Twenty-eight players entered protocols on Sunday, a new single-day high for the season, eclipsing the previous high of 17 on Dec. 17 and Dec. 23. Monday, which saw 13 players and two head coaches enter protocols, marked the 12th day in the past 14 in which there have been double-digit player additions to the protocols list.

Through Monday, 541 NBA players have played in at least one game this season, setting a record for the most in a season ever, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The league started a two-week stretch of increased post-Christmas testing, which is expected to continue to return a significant number of positive tests.

This reduction in quarantine time is expected to immediately impact the status of numerous players who are already in the protocols.

Players are considered to have tested positive on Day Zero, so they would actually be back to play on the seventh day if they meet the new standard. Data shows that individuals who are boosted continue to clear the virus out of their system at a far more rapid rate than those who aren’t, league sources told ESPN.

The decision to shorten the quarantine to six days, sources said, is based on expert research and data — including the league’s own — indicating that no one with a cycle threshold (CT) over 35 has shown to be infectious again after five or six days, sources said.

CT measures how many times a test has to cycle to find the virus in an individual. For example, a 35 CT is fainter than a 20 CT. The NBA and NBPA have relied on data from the league’s own infectious-disease experts, the CDC and models and research in the United Kingdom.

Along with relying on its own experts, the NBA also considers guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which on Monday announced that it would shorten its recommended isolation period for those who test positive from COVID to five days from 10 if they are asymptomatic.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on The NBA Today that the omicron variant was responsible for as much as 90% of the league’s recent COVID cases.

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LOS ANGELES — While Kevin Durant could be rejoining the Brooklyn Nets later this week when they are back in New York, Steve Nash says Kyrie Irving will need between a week and two weeks to ramp up before making his season debut.

Durant and Irving remain in health and safety protocols and are not with the team in Los Angeles, where the Nets beat the Clippers 124-108 on Monday night. But the team returns to New York after the game, and the Nets could have Durant and center LaMarcus Aldridge out of protocols and back with the team when they play Philadelphia on Thursday.

“I think there’s a good chance Kevin will be,” Nash said after the team’s shootaround about whether Durant will be back with the team when it gets back home. “With Kyrie, I’m not so sure, but it’s coming. He’s already been [in protocols since Dec. 18]. … He’s got to be getting close.”

Aldridge entered health and safety protocols on Dec. 14 along with five other Nets. The other five — James Harden, James Johnson, Bruce Brown, DeAndre’ Bembry and Jevon Carter — were all cleared and played in the Nets’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas.

Durant and Irving went into protocols on Dec. 18. The day before, the Nets announced Irving would be returning to the team to play on a part-time basis. Because of New York City’s vaccine mandate, Irving is not allowed to play in home games at Barclays Center or at Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks.

Since the point guard has not practiced on a regular basis with the team since early October in training camp, Nash says it will take Irving time to ramp up. The Nets have yet to see Irving on a court since deciding to bring him back into the fold because he went into health and safety protocols.

“It’s hard to say, but I would say probably somewhere between a week and two weeks,” Nash said of the ramp-up. “He’s obviously been isolating so that kind of puts another layer to the ramp-up. It’s not like he’s been working out so probably I’d imagine it’s going to be closer to two weeks once he comes out of protocols. We’ll just have to see how it goes, though, because we have to evaluate him from a physical and performance standpoint and a basketball standpoint as well.”

After concluding this two-game trip in Los Angeles, the Nets only have two road games in their following nine games after Monday’s game at the Clippers. They play at Indiana on Jan. 5 and then at Chicago on Jan. 12.

If Irving doesn’t play in those games, the Nets could have him at Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 17 for the start of a four-game road swing.

Harden said on Saturday that having Irving back, even on a part-time basis, “will be huge for us.”

“Hopefully we can get him back full-time,” center Nic Claxton said. “But it’s definitely gonna be scary hours [with Irving back]. I think he’s gonna break the game for us, and make things easier for everybody on the court. And I’m just, I’m ready to get my brother back.”

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Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced on Monday.

He joins teammate Jae Crowder and head coach Monty Williams in the protocols. Elfrid Payton, who entered protocols on Sunday, returned in Monday night’s 114-113 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

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The NBA on Monday agreed to reduce the length a vaccinated, asymptomatic player must quarantine from 10 to six days, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.

The Suns (26-6) hosted the Grizzlies on Monday night and play the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Wednesday night before traveling to Boston on Dec. 31.

Backup center JaVale McGee started in place of Ayton. He had six points and fouled out after playing just 22 minutes.

Ayton, 23, has averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds in 24 games this season.

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Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young was cleared from the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols on Monday and returned to the starting lineup as host Atlanta lost 130-118 to the Chicago Bulls.

Young, who entered the game leading the Hawks in scoring (27.3 points per game) and assists (9.3 per game), had 29 points, 9 assists, 1 rebound and 2 turnovers in 40 minutes in his return.

Young had missed three games while in the league’s health and safety protocols after a positive COVID-19 test. Atlanta was 1-2 without him. He returned two negative tests to be eligible to return.

The Hawks’ roster has been depleted by COVID-19 issues. Atlanta still had 10 players listed out for virus reasons for Monday’s game against the Bulls.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Amid swirling rumors about his job security, Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy said Monday he is operating under the assumption that he will coach the team’s final two games of the regular season.

The Bears have never fired a coach during the season, but a new NFL rule allows teams to begin interviewing candidates during the final two weeks of the regular season if the coach is either no longer employed or has been given notice that he won’t return for 2022. Nagy denied a report last month that he had been told that he would be fired after the Thanksgiving Day game at the Detroit Lions.

The Bears (5-10) snapped a three-game losing streak Sunday with a 25-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, but they are among eight teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Asked Monday if he assumed he will coach out the season, Nagy nodded and said: “Yes.”

Earlier, Nagy said he was aware of no changes to the timing of the Bears’ annual evaluation process for coaches, which typically concludes after the regular season. He did note his players’ effort level in what was an otherwise meaningless game Sunday in Seattle.

“One thing you can always evaluate is effort from players,” he said. “You never know [what the result will be]. But you can always judge effort. We saw that yesterday. … You value that. It states to who the players are in this building. They deserve that and they deserve to have the feeling to win. It’s been a little while. When you get a chance to get a win, you’ve got to enjoy it. And for me personally, I’m just really happy for the players.”

Also Monday, Nagy announced that five players were returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list: wide receiver Allen Robinson, safety Tashaun Gipson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, tight end Jesse James and running back Ryan Nall.

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Veteran center Greg Monroe made history by becoming the NBA-record 541st player used in the league this season when he checked in off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their 108-103 home win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night.Read More

Fireworks along the Chicago River | Provided

The show will kick off promptly at midnight along a 1.5 mile stretch of the Chicago River and lakefront.

The city plans to put on the largest fireworks display it’s ever undertaken to ring in the new year.

The show will be along a 1.5-mile-long stretch of the lakefront and Chicago River and will kick off promptly at midnight on New Year’s Eve, the city announced Monday.

The free display will be choreographed to a special music soundtrack and synchronized across eight separate launch sites along the Chicago River and in Lake Michigan near Navy Pier.

WGN-TV will be broadcasting the show and anyone wishing to see it in person can visit nyeblast.com for details on suggested viewing locations.

“Visitors and locals alike are encouraged to eat, drink and be merry at a variety of partner venues and events,” according to a news release from the city, which also encouraged people to get vaccinated and reminded people that the city is instituting a vaccine requirement for patrons of indoor dining, bars and gyms that begins Jan. 3

“This will be the largest fireworks display in the city’s history and one of the largest anywhere in the world,” said Arena Partners CEO, John Murray, who is producing the event again this year after a 2-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is so great that the City is open again and welcoming people back to our fantastic hotels, restaurants, and cultural institutions.”

The show is made possible by support from the city and partners from the hospitality industry, which employs more than 90,000 workers.

“I’m thrilled that we are able to welcome back our New Year’s Eve fireworks and hope to continue this tradition into the future,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced in a statement. “Importantly, the display can be viewed outdoors where the spread of COVID-19 is less likely, so our residents and visitors should feel comfortable while masking up and social distancing or even watching safely from home. I look forward to welcoming a happy new year.”

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The duo continued looking like an unstoppable force in the 130-118 win, almost taking turns destroying the opposition. Just to make sure Atlanta couldn’t come back? Nikola Vucevic jumped into the mix.

It almost feels scripted at times this season.

As if Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan huddle before each game, and plot how they are going to take turns dissecting opposing defenders.

“OK, you had the fourth yesterday, so I’ll take the first tonight, you kill ‘em in the second … ‘’

Far-fetched?

A bit, but there is also some truth to it for the Bulls duo. Just call it more spur-of-the-moment than planned.

That was the case Sunday, as Indiana was trying to make a comeback late, and LaVine silenced it with 12 fourth-quarter points.

“The three of us spoke about what we wanted to do the next couple minutes offensively, and DeMar said, ‘Hey listen, Zach has it going, let me space off of him and play off of what he does … let’s keep him going,’ ‘’ acting head coach Chris Fleming recalled of how the Bulls finished off the Pacers. “That’s kind of the attitude both of those guys have toward each other.’’

It continued in the 130-118 win over the Hawks on Monday, as LaVine and DeRozan remained one of the more lethal tag teams in the NBA this season, forcing the opposition to decide on which poison to pick.

In the opening quarter it was back to DeRozan, as the veteran forward put up 15 in that first stanza, and did so efficiently, connecting on both three-pointers he took, and going 5-for-6 from the field.

Then in the second with the Bulls trailing, the LaVine takeover happened, as the All-Star guard not only helped run the surging Hawks down, but passed them on the scoreboard, as his 17 second-quarter points gave the visiting team the 69-63 halftime lead.

A lead that wasn’t really pressed until midway into the fourth, when the Hawks cut it to just three.

No worries, as Atlanta tried to shrink the floor on DeRozan the scorer, forcing him to switch hats to play-maker. All he did was feed Nikola Vucevic for back-to-back three-pointers, and then made a 13-footer for himself to hold off the Atlanta flurry.

Just to make sure, he then hit LaVine on a crafty alley-oop pass, seemingly draining the Hawks’ hopes of any sort of comeback.

By the time the fourth quarter ended, DeRozan had 12 points and three assists.

“We’ve been doing it all year,” LaVine said of back-and-forth he and DeRozan drop on teams. “He’s been incredible in the fourth quarter, so it’s been easy for me to almost be like, ‘Get him the ball and get out of the way.’ Because coming up to this point, I haven’t won like this, and this has been the best feeling I’ve had of winning. So it’s been real easy for me.

“We had that conversation before the season. Obviously, there’s going to be nights where I have it, he has it.’’

Then there’s Monday, where it felt like each of the Bulls’ “Big Three’’ had it. DeRozan led the Bulls (21-10) with 35 points, LaVine had 30, but Vucevic also left a big footprint on the game, finishing with 24, including 13 in the fourth.

And it wasn’t just the big man’s scoring. How about 17 rebounds, six assists, four blocked shots and four three-pointers? When it was pointed out to him that it was a stat line never achieved in the NBA, Vucevic gave a very Vucevic reply.

‘It’s nice to hear, but when it comes to those stats you can make up a stat with anything nowadays,’’ Vucevic said. “I feel like stats should be like generally five, 10, 15, 20, 25, so they’re consistent. I’m glad I played well and had a good all-around game that helped us win, but as far as that I don’t necessarily care to be the only player to ever do it.’’

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Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields #1 warms up before the Bears take on the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, Monday night, Dec. 20, 2021. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Why is the Bears’ offense so impotent? Is it the scheme? The coaching? The receivers? The erratic defense? The O-line? The inexperience? Or the lack of young quarterback talent?

Here’s one takeaway from the Bears’ 25-24 road victory Sunday against the Seahawks: Maybe the quarterback situation truly is messed up.

And another: Maybe the Bears have been starting the wrong quarterback this season.

And finally: It’s possible young Justin Fields, the Bears’ 2020 first-round draft pick/savior for years to come, is a dud.

Let’s examine.

The Bears right now have three quarterbacks — two of whom are injured (Fields and Andy Dalton) — which gave third-stringer Nick Foles a chance to play.

As the game progressed on that icy, snowy field in Seattle, you kept waiting for Foles to prove he’s as antique and rusty as a barn nail. You knew the moment of failure was coming. And then it didn’t.

Foles’ passer rating was a decent 98.5. But his rating when it mattered — on the six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that, coupled with the two-point conversion, won the game — was 158.3. Passer ratings don’t go any higher than that. Call it perfect.

Yes, it was only one game in a lost season for a 5-10 team with a coaching staff likely to be unloaded in a couple of weeks.

But it mattered because Bears coach Matt Nagy clearly felt pressured into starting the raw and uncertain Fields in 10 games this season — perhaps because he was as eager to see the 22-year-old play as fans were.

And the display by the former Ohio State star has not been pretty.

That’s what we have come to expect from rookie quarterbacks in the NFL. There’s a long history of rookies flailing about.

One huge reason is that those high-draft-choice quarterbacks invariably go to lousy teams, where failure almost can be counted on.

Lucky are the rookies who go to places where they can play — or sit for a spell — on teams that have solid offenses and coaching.

Think of Dan Marino being drafted by the Super Bowl runner-up Dolphins or Patrick Mahomes going to the Chiefs, who had averaged 11 victories a season the previous three years.

Then there’s Steve Young, who came from the U.S. Football League and got to sit behind Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana with the 49ers, and Aaron Rodgers, who was drafted to sit and learn behind Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre with the Packers.

The Bears have no such luxury. They were a bad team when they drafted Fields, and they’re a bad team now.

And Fields — who came out of talent-laden Ohio State, a school that never has produced a great NFL quarterback — has been erratic this season.

As Nagy said Monday: ‘‘We’re aware that when you draft a quarterback, there’s going to be some experiences and time that he needs to be able to get better and let the game slow down for him.’’

The game looked slow for Foles on Sunday. And he’s a quarterback with half the athletic ability of Fields. Even Dalton, when healthy, seemed more in control than Fields.

All the rookie quarterbacks have struggled (at least at times) this season — the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, the Jets’ Zach Wilson, Fields and the Patriots’ Mac Jones. The 49ers’ Trey Lance barely has played. Maybe he’s the lucky one.

What if the Bears had started Foles or Dalton all season — no controversy or yammering for Fields to play — and had something like an 8-7 record and possible playoff hopes? Would fans like that better? Isn’t winning games what we want?

Playing quarterback in the NFL — doing it well — is the most difficult thing in team sports. Nothing else compares. It’s like trying to make 15-foot putts while feral hogs charge at your legs.

Second-year quarterbacks can shine if they survive that first season. The Chargers’ Justin Herbert and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow are good examples. Herbert has thrown for 4,394 yards and 33 touchdowns so far this season, and Burrow just cranked out a 525-yard, four-touchdown victory Sunday against the Ravens. Both had their issues last season.

So we wonder: Why is the Bears’ offense so impotent? Is it the scheme? The coaching? The receivers? The erratic defense? The O-line? The inexperience?

And the dreaded final question: Is it the lack of young quarterback talent?

People say Fields will learn, improve, stop fumbling, stay healthy, shine. It’s possible.

But is it certain? No way.

When Fields plays next season, Bears fans won’t be nearly so forgiving.

I wish the young man luck and a hard shell. He’s going to need both.

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