Play.
James Harden and Bruce Brown were put in the COVID protocols as the outbreak grew.
The Nets plan to keep going after losing James Harden and Bruce Brown, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The song is called "2:07."
11:26 AM
The Brooklyn Nets lost six players to the NBA's health and safety protocols within an hour of tip-off against the Toronto Raptors, but escaped with a 131-129 overtime victory.
With seven Nets players entering the NBA's health and safety protocols in the preceding 24 hours, Brooklyn would not have had the required eight players available to play against Toronto if star forward Kevin Durant had been unable to go.
Nash said that they had to debate it. We had to discuss Kevin's situation. We don't want to risk it, we're talking about a franchise player. We're probably more cautious than he is. He really wanted to play.
With the Nets playing four rookies, including David Duke Jr., a two-way player, in Harden's typical starting backcourt spot alongside Patty Mills, Kevin Durant was able to carry the Nets home with a 34 point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.
"I can't even explain how I feel," he said. It's December and we're down seven players and we could've punted the game. It was an amazing test for us, especially the younger guys who haven't played a lot of meaningful games in the NBA, and we saw an opportunity to grow and get better.
I'm proud to be a part of this group and play with these young guys.
The loss of seven players to the league's health and safety protocols in a single day overshadowed the win. On Monday, forward Paul Millsap entered and was followed by forwards LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson, DeAndre' Bembry, and guard Jevon Carter. They were joined by Harden, who walked into the center about an hour before the game was to start, and Brown, who was on the court warming up.
I looked at the Nets assistant coach and wondered if I should put on my shoes. What's the deal? Mills joked with himself. That quickly turned into a conversation within the room, where it was like, 'Well, we're here now.' Let's roll the ball out and have fun.
The Nets will have to stick to their guns as they navigate the next couple of weeks without a large chunk of their roster. The Nets will play five games in a row at home. The Nets will play their first two games of the season in Los Angeles, first against the Lakers on Christmas Day and then against the Clippers on December 27.
All of the players who had tested positive for COVID-19 had been asymptomatic, so they had to either be out for a minimum of 10 days or return two negative tests to clear the league's health and safety protocols. The earliest possible return date for any of them would be the Christmas Day game against the Lakers.
Nash said there was no update on the status of Irving, who is ineligible to play in New York City because he is unvaccinated.
Nash said before the game that he had no updates. I've connected with him but not in the scope of the question or life in general. We connected last week but did not have any intel or insight that things are changing.
I know he's working out and I know he would love to play but I think the boundaries are still the same as before.
"Kyrie is my brother, and we talk about everything," said Durant. I would rather keep those conversations in-house.
According to Bobby Marks, Brooklyn could have as many as five hardship exceptions to fill out their roster, but each of them would cost them $500,000 in luxury taxes.
As the Nets try to figure out where to go from here, it could mean continuing to place a heavy burden on KD. He's playing more minutes this season than he has in the last two years, even before he played 48 minutes Tuesday night.
When asked if he was concerned about the minutes piling up early in the season, he said that wasn't something he was focused on.
"I just try to do what's required," he said. I want to be out there. I want to play. I want to win. It starts there.
I'm going to do whatever it takes to accomplish those three things.
