More postponements, coaches in protocols

The NBA postponed another game for virus-related reasons Dec. 30, raising the total to 11 pushed back so far this season while two more head coaches entered the league’s health and safety protocols.

Golden State’s game at Denver was postponed because the Nuggets — through a combination of injuries and a newly discovered outbreak of the virus — did not have the leagueminimum eight players available to start the contest.

Had they played, the Nuggets would have also been without head coach Michael Malone. He went into the protocols on Dec. 30, as did Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers. The 76ers were using assistant coach Dan Burke in Rivers’ place for their game against Brooklyn.

Rivers and Malone join the Los Angeles Lakers’ Frank Vogel, Chicago’s Billy Donovan, Phoenix’s Monty Williams, Portland’s Chauncey Billups and Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault as head coaches in the protocols.

Also in the protocols: around 120 players, along with an untold number of other staffers from around the league — including assistant coaches, broadcasters, referees, media relations personnel, stat crew members, athletic trainers and more.

“This is mentally exhausting,” said Portland assistant Scott Brooks, who is filling in for Billups during his protocols stint.

For some teams, there was progress. Toronto, which has been decimated by the virus in recent weeks, had most of its players back for practice.

“I clean things a lot more.

I wear my mask a lot more. I stay in my office by myelf all the time,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “I go home when practice is over. There’s all kinds of things that I try to do.”

Toronto guard Fred VanVleet was among the Raptors back on the floor, after recovering from COVID-19 for a second time. VanVleet’s tale this time wasn’t particularly different from many — not all, but many — players who have spoken about their virus experience in recent weeks, with the majority saying their symptoms weren’t particularly difficult to get through.