Nets’ Irving is glad to be back

Kyrie Irving doesn’t know when he’ll get his first playing time of the season. The fact that it’s sooner than later is good enough for him right now.

Irving returned to practice Wednesday with the Nets, out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols and potentially just a few days away from suiting up with the Eastern Conference leaders for the first time this season.

A possible return date: next Wednesday, when Brooklyn visits Indiana, the next scheduled road game for the Nets.

“Not going to lie,” Irving said. “It’s been relatively tough to watch from the sideline. … But if I get the opportunity to get on the court and play with some of my teammates, even if it’s just on the road for away games, I’m grateful for that opportunity.”

Irving has not played this season because he is unvaccinated and therefore not compliant with local rules in New York regarding those who work in the city. The Nets decided this month that the time was right for Irving to return at least for road games — excluding ones in Toronto and San Francisco because of local policies in those cities — in a move that represented a significant shift in Brooklyn’s previous thinking that it would not want the perennial All-Star to be a parttime player.

Irving said he respected the

Nets’ stance.

“I knew the consequences,” Irving said of his vaccination decision. “I wasn’t prepared for them, by no stretch of imagination coming into the season.”

Rubio out for the season: Cleveland guard Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending left knee injury, a devastating blow to a Cavaliers team that he helped moved into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs said an MRI exam confirmed a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which was feared after Rubio got hurt late in Tuesday’s 108-104 loss at New Orleans.

Rubio, 31, had a major impact in his first season with Cleveland, averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds and providing leadership.

Wednesday’s games

Suns 115, Thunder 97: Devin Booker scored 38 points, surpassing 10,000 for his career, and host Phoenix ended a two-game losing streak to pull even even with the Warriors atop the league standings at 27-7. Booker made 12 of 24 shots from the floor, going 6-for-12 from 3-point range.

Kings 95, Mavericks 94: Chimezie Metu hit a buzzer-beating 3 from the right corner to lift host Sacramento over Dallas.

Jazz 120, Trail Blazers 105: Rudy Gobert scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as visiting Utah beat Portland despite 32-point efforts by Damian Lillard and Norman Powell.

Clippers 91, Celtics 82: Eric Bledsoe scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a key 3-pointer down the stretch for visiting Los Angeles, which got back to .500 (17-17) after losing five of six. Marcus Morris had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Terance Mann and Luke Kennard scored 17 apiece for the Clippers. Cal alum Jaylen Brown led Boston with 30 points.

Grizzlies 104, Lakers 99: Ja Morant had 41 points and 10 rebounds and Desmond Bane added 20 points as host Memphis won its third straight. LeBron James had 37 points and 13 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had another triple-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists), but Los Angeles has lost six of seven.

Bulls 131, Hawks 117: Zach LaVine scored 25 points, DeMar DeRozan added 20 and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 20 rebounds as host Chicago beat shorthanded Atlanta for the second time in three nights. Trae Young scored 26 points for the Hawks.

Knicks 94, Pistons 85: Former Warriors guard Alec Burks scored a season-high 34 points to lead a huge night from visiting New York’s bench. Burks was a point shy of his career high and Immanuel Quickley added 18 points as the Knicks’ reserves combined for 65 points. Saddiq Bey had a personal-high 32 points and Hamidou Diallo had a season-high 31 points with 13 rebounds for Detroit.

Hornets 116, Pacers 108: Terry Rozier scored a season-high 35 points and LaMelo Ball added 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for visiting Charlotte. Caris LeVert scored 27 points and Domantas Sabonis posted his 25th double-double this season (15 points, 18 rebounds), but Indiana lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Heat-Spurs postponed: The NBA postponed Wednesday’s game between Miami and San Antonio after a combination of injuries and positive COVID-19 tests left the Heat unable to meet the league’s requirement of eight available players. It was the 10th game postponed in the NBA this season because of virus-related issues.