Players in protocols list top 100 names

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have enough players to fly to Los Angeles and play their Christmas showdown against the Lakers, though Kevin Durant might not be among them.

But news worsened for many other teams in the league Thursday, including Minnesota, which placed Karl-Anthony Towns — who previously revealed that COVID-19 caused the death of seven of his relatives, including his mother — on the health and safety protocols list.

Meanwhile, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are continuing discussions on whether to change the current protocols about returning to play after a positive test — something that typically has taken 10 days or more in most cases.

Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said Thursday that James Harden has cleared the protocols, but he said the Nets don’t expect any of their players still in the protocols to come out in time for the game. That would include Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer.

Brooklyn planning to play on Saturday was a positive sign, as was Chicago coach Billy Donovan announcing after practice Thursday that the Bulls no longer have any players on the protocols list. The Bulls had as many as 10 on that list last week, when the league postponed two of their games as a result.

But the numbers continued rising around the league, with 101 players in the protocols as of Thursday night. The Timberwolves now have seven in the protocols.

Washington’s Bradley Beal was another big name added to the protocols list on Thursday. Beal, who missed out on the chance to play in the Olympics last year after testing positive, said before this season he was unvaccinated.

Others remaining on the list included Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Trae Young. All three were scheduled to be part of the NBA’s five-game Christmas schedule.

And Detroit said on Thursday it had added four players to the protocols, where they joined rookie Cade Cunningham, the team’s leading scorer.

The Nets have had their last three scheduled games postponed — among the NBA’s nine postponements thus far — after a coronavirus outbreak left them with a league-high 10 players in protocols. Nash said Harden, Paul Millsap and Jevon Carter had also cleared protocols, though rookies Cam Thomas, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr. had since entered.

Teams need a minimum of eight players to start a game. Nash said the Nets have more than enough.

It is important to note that players can enter and exit the health and safety protocols list quickly in some cases, some teams do not release updated numbers except when mandated by league rule, and not everyone on the list has tested positive for COVID-19.

Durant was placed in protocols last Saturday along with Kyrie Irving