DURANT QUARANTINED; TOUGHER RULES
The NBA is adopting a tougher policy regarding masks, telling teams Monday that players on the active roster will have to wear the face coverings in the bench area until they enter games.
That memo was released on the same day the Brooklyn Nets ruled All-Star forward Kevin Durant out for today’s game against Utah in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols for dealing with coronavirus.
Among the new rules, which take effect today: players who are dressed for games and eligible to participate must wear a face mask until they enter the game, all players and coaches must wear face masks when outside the team environment if they are around other players and coaches, and players must report the names of any private trainer, therapist, chiropractor or other specialist who they work
with outside of the team facility.
Meanwhile, a person with knowledge of the situation said Durant, who had coronavirus in May, will have to complete a seven-day quarantine, which would also rule him out of three additional games — at home against
Philadelphia on Thursday, at Memphis on Friday and home again to play Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Monday’s games 76ers 118, Hornets 101:
Joel Embiid had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Tobias Harris scored 22 points and host Philadelphia beat Charlotte for its fourth straight win. Ben Simmons had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Danny Green hit three 3s for 13 points for Philly.
Mavericks 113, Rockets 100: Luka Doncic had 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 30 off the bench as visiting Dallas used a big fourth-quarter run to beat Houston. Christian Wood had 23 points to lead the Rockets and James Harden added 21.
Warriors 137, Kings 106: Stephen Curry followed up his career-high 62 points a night earlier with another 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the suddenly clicking Golden State past visiting Sacramento. Kelly Oubre Jr. took some pressure off Curry on the perimeter by knocking down four 3-pointers on the way to 18 points.
Bucks 125, Pistons 115: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 43 points and host Milwaukee defeated Detroit and moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season. Jerami Grant and Derrick Rose led the Pistons with 24 points each.
Pacers 118, Pelicans 116 (OT): Malcolm Brogdon capped a 21-point, 11-assist performance by bouncing in a driving, one-handed f loater with 1.7 seconds left in overtime, and visiting Indiana beat New Orleans. Victor Oladipo scored 25 points for Indiana, hitting a 29-foot 3-pointer and following that up with a steal from Lonzo Ball to spark a six-point comeback in the final 20 seconds of regulation.
Magic 103, Cavaliers 83: Aaron Gordon broke out of a shooting slump with 6-of-9 sniping from 3-point range and scored a season-high 24 points, leading Orlando over visiting Cleveland. Nikola Vucevic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Orlando.
Heat 118, Thunder 90:
Kelly Olynyk made five 3pointers on his way to 19 points, Bam Adebayo led all scorers with 20 on 9-for-10 shooting and host Miami beat Oklahoma City. Jimmy Butler scored 18 points for Miami.
Knicks 113, Hawks 108: Julius Randle scored 28 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, Austin Rivers hit a huge 3-pointer and visiting New York rallied to beat Atlanta, which got 31 points and 14 assists from Trae Young.
Celtics 126, Raptors 114: Jayson Tatum scored 40 points and Boston rolled past the Toronto in Tampa, Fla. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 23 points and eight assists for the Celtics.
Notable
Spurs point guard Derrick White is out indefinitely after breaking his left second toe. White had offseason surgery on the same toe, but the Spurs said the fracture is a new injury.