Spike in cases hits more NBA games

LOS ANGELES • The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Sunday announced it had postponed the next two Brooklyn Nets games and three other games because of the high number of players and staff who have entered the league's Covid-19 health and safety protocols.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers will also have matches rescheduled because of the recent wave of new cases.

Seven NBA games have now been postponed since last week.

Last week, the Chicago Bulls had to rearrange two games after players and staff were placed in protocols.

The Eastern Conference-leading Nets have been particularly hard hit. Their stars Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving - brought back into the fold despite his unvaccinated status due to the team's dire situation - are among the nine players unable to suit up due to the protocols.

Cleveland's home game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday was postponed after five Cavaliers tested positive for Covid-19 in the morning, ESPN reported.

Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel also entered into the protocols, missing Sunday's game in Chicago, with assistant David Fizdale serving as the acting coach.

Lakers forward Kent Bazemore also entered the protocols on Sunday, becoming the seventh Lakers player to do so amid the current outbreak.

The Bulls were playing their first game since Dec 11 because of a locker-room outbreak, while star guard DeMar DeRozan had been missing even longer, after just coming out of two weeks in protocols.

But with the Lakers hamstrung by the absences of All-Star Anthony Davis - his knee injury last week will keep him out for at least a month - as well as Vogel, Bazemore, Avery Bradley, Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk and Austin Reaves, this was an ideal game for DeRozan to make his comeback.

He scored 19 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, while teammate Nikola Vucevic registered a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to boost the hosts to a 115-110 win.

Chicago themselves were missing All-Star Zach LaVine and three other players because of protocols, but were able to rely on DeRozan for some clutch plays.

"It's an honour to be trusted in those moments," he said.

"I never take it for granted. It's an adrenaline rush that you can't duplicate, so you try to make the most of it every time you're put in that position. There's nothing like it.

"You've got to take the good with the bad, and I'm willing to take both."

Bulls coach Billy Donovan added: "Just pretty amazing what he did being out, missing games and having two days (of practice).

"His mental toughness and his competitive spirit are pretty amazing. Just his shot-making ability when we needed buckets."

On the Lakers' short-handed situation, Russell Westbrook, who contributed 20 points, added: "Obviously, we're doing things on the fly, figuring out how to play with the line-ups we have and the people we have available.

"It is what it is. Just trying to stay safe as possible."

Given the spike in cases, the NBA and the players' association on Sunday came to an agreement enabling teams to sign a replacement player for each positive Covid-19 case that crops up in their roster.

Any replacement players that are signed will also not impact on said team's salary cap and luxury tax figures.

REUTERS