The Houston Rockets are traveling to Portland with nine players – one more than the minimum required to play an NBA game – for Saturday’s street game against the Trail Blazers.
The Rockets, whose season opener against Oklahoma City Thunder has been delayed due to a lack of available players, has six players absent because of a pair of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracking.
Reserve winger Ben McLemore and debutant striker Kenyon Martin Jr. tested positive this week. Center DeMarcus Cousins, owner John Wall, owner Eric Gordon and bidirectional owner Mason Jones are listed as excluded due to “health and safety protocols” in the official NBA injury report as they are required to be quarantined after being certain close contacts.
James Harden will play against the Trail Blazers. He was deemed unavailable for the season opener – leaving the Rockets below the minimum required player limit – because of a violation of NBA health and safety protocols, which prohibit players from attending social gatherings with more than 15 people.
Harden was fined $ 50,000 for attending a private indoor party on Monday. The league’s medical team demanded that Harden be quarantined for four days and tested negative for coronavirus each day before being released to resume team activities.