The Brooklyn Nets have not played a game since Saturday, as each of their last two contests — a pair of home tilts against the Denver Nuggets and the Washington Wizards that were slated to take place on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively — got postponed due to the sheer number of players the team has in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Now, a third consecutive game on the team’s schedule is getting moved to a later date due to Brooklyn’s inability to put enough basketball players on the floor. The league announced on Wednesday morning that the team’s upcoming matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers is not going to happen. It was scheduled to take place on Thursday evening in Rip City, but now, the game will be pushed back to a later date.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/oDJ1DPFlsL
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 22, 2021
As of this writing, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre’ Bembry, Bruce Brown, Jevon Carter, Kevin Durant, James Harden, James Johnson, Paul Millsap, Day’Ron Sharpe are all in the health and safety protocols, while Joe Harris is sidelined due to ankle surgery and the duo of Nic Claxton and Blake Griffin are listed as day-to-day. Kyrie Irving is also in the protocols, but he is not with the team as he is getting ready to return as a part-time player.
Next up on Brooklyn’s schedule is a highly-anticipated Christmas Day matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. There is no word on whether or not the Nets will have enough players to play that game.