COVID-19 impacting number of opponents

The combination of early-season injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic has left the Miami Heat with a four-game trip far different than anticipated, including Saturday night’s game against the Washington Wizards.

Not only were the Wizards without guard Russell Westbrook due to a quadriceps injury, but it was announced less than an hour before the tipoff in Washington that guard Bradley Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, would be unavailable due to a contact-tracing issue.

“This year,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said, “you just never know what’s going to happen with all the health protocols and things like that.”

Beal’s contact-tracing is

in regard to Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who had a positive coronavirus test result, with the Wizards coming off a Friday loss in Boston.

The Heat are next scheduled to play Sunday in Boston.

The Celtics, however, could find themselves in a tight spot when it comes to having the minimum requirement of eight available players from their 17-player roster.

Per the Celtics’ injury report for Sunday’s 7 p.m. game at TD Garden:

Jaylen Brown (Health & Safety Protocols) Questionable

Javonte Green (Health & Safety Protocols) Questionable

Romeo Langford (Right Wrist Surgery) Out

Semi Ojeleye (Health & Safety Protocols) Questionable

Tatum (Health & Safety Protocols) Doubtful.

Tristan Thompson (Health & Safety Protocols) Out

Kemba Walker (Left Knee Injury Recovery) Out

Grant Williams (Health & Safety Protocols) Out

Robert Williams (Health & Safety Protocols) Out

Following Sunday’s game, the Heat are scheduled to play Tuesday and Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers to close out the four-game trip.

The 76ers had only seven available players for Saturday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, forced to list injured forward Mike Scott as active despite the injury.

To Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, it is part of the realities of life amid a pandemic.

“It’s very humbling and sobering each day to find out updated news on players being out for possibly contracting the virus, or just being for safety and health protocols,” Spoelstra said ahead of Saturday’s game in Washington. “This is an element of unknown and uncertainty that is just a reality. It makes everybody involved feel a little bit uncomfortable.

“There’s also the side of it that we feel grateful that we’re able to proceed. We know how important our industry is, to be able to keep going and persevere, but do it in an absolute safest, most thought-out way during the course of this. But it’s certainly sobering news.”