Nets planning to play on Christmas

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.

Coach Steve Nash said Dec. 23 that James Harden has cleared the NBA’s health and safety 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 Dec. 25 is an obvious positive sign, as was Chicago coach Billy Donovan announcing after practice Dec. 23 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.

The Nets have had their last three scheduled games postponed — among the NBA’s nine postponements thus far — when 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 to do that.

COVID-19 UPDATE » Both Saints veteran quarterbacks, Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian and Minnesota star running back Dalvin Cook tested positive for COVID-19.

But Washington is getting back quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Hill and Siemian were among nine players for New Orleans placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The others include such key players as safety Malcolm Jenkins and tackle Jordan Mills, who is expected to start Dec. 27 against Miami.

The situation left Ian Book, a rookie out of Notre Dame who has been inactive for all 14 games, as the only active quarterback under contract. It appears Book is in line for his maiden NFL regular-season appearance. Running back Alvin Kamara has been the Saints’ emergency quarterback for several seasons and conceivably could take direct snaps as a wildcat threat.

TITANS ACTIVATE WR

BROWNS » The bangedup Titans were set to have their leading receiver back with A.J. Brown activated in time to face the 49ers. But the Titans (9-5) were thinner on the offensive line without Kendall Lamm, expected to replace left tackle Taylor Lewan in the starting lineup. Lamm is now on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Lewan’s back is keeping him out.