NBA postpones 5 more games; Trae Young, Frank Vogel enter protocols

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(AP) — The NBA connected Sunday postponed a full of 5 games involving 9 teams successful effect to rising coronavirus numbers, raising the fig of contests that person been pushed backmost this play to seven.

Called disconnected were 3 Sunday games: Cleveland astatine Atlanta, Denver astatine Brooklyn and New Orleans astatine Philadelphia. Also shelved were Orlando’s crippled astatine Toronto connected Monday and Washington’s crippled astatine Brooklyn connected Tuesday.

The postponements came connected the aforesaid time that Atlanta announced prima defender Trae Young entered the league’s wellness and information protocols and the Los Angeles Lakers said manager Frank Vogel besides was added to the list.

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The Cavaliers had 5 players participate the protocols connected Sunday, the squad said. All 5 — halfway Jarrett Allen, forwards Lamar Stevens and Dylan Windler and guards Denzel Valentine and RJ Nembhard — tested affirmative for COVID-19, according to a idiosyncratic who spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the squad did not merchandise that circumstantial detail.

They joined Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley, who entered the protocols previously.

Vogel won’t beryllium connected the seat erstwhile his Lakers play Sunday astatine Chicago. David Fizdale volition manager successful Vogel’s place, the Lakers said. The Bulls are returning to the tribunal aft having 2 games postponed past week. Through Saturday’s games, those were the lone games the NBA had pushed backmost during this outbreak — with much than 50 players placed connected the protocols database successful caller days.

But connected Sunday, the league added importantly to the database of postponements, with teams simply not having capable players to compete. Brooklyn unsocial has 10 players — positive immoderate unit — successful the protocols.

“It is what it is. Just trying to enactment harmless arsenic imaginable and that’s each you tin do,” Lakers defender Russell Westbrook said of the NBA’s rising numbers. Westbrook was concisely successful the protocols precocious past week, earlier returning astatine slightest 3 antagonistic coronavirus tests and being cleared to instrumentality to play without missing a game.

The league and the National Basketball Players Association person been discussing a program successful which teams successful hopeless request of players would beryllium capable to motion reinforcements to 10-day contracts but without those deals impacting wage headdress and luxury taxation figures. That woody has not yet been finalized, though talks are continuing.

Brooklyn’s database of players successful protocols includes Kevin Durant, James Harden and — adjacent though he’s inactive not yet capable to play — Kyrie Irving, who has sat retired each play for not complying with New York City’s vaccine mandate. The squad reversed people Friday and said Irving would beryllium welcomed backmost “for games and practices successful which helium is eligible to participate,” knowing he’d inactive miss 2 games astatine the Knicks and trips to Toronto and Golden State.

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers successful Cleveland contributed to this report.