Tobias Harris of the 76ers reacts after a foul call Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors. Harris returned to the lineup after missing six games following a positive COVID-19 test. Matt Slocum/Associated Press
The NBA has raised the level of urgency regarding getting booster shots against the coronavirus, telling players and coaches that it is no longer advisable to wait before receiving the additional dose.
The booster shots should be received “as soon as possible, particularly in light of the current coronavirus situation and increasing cases,” the league told teams Friday in a memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Earlier in the week, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association said they were recommending the booster shots be received by those who are fully vaccinated, suggesting that it get done by Dec. 1 in most cases.
But with positivity rates rising in many areas of the country and with the rate of COVID-19 community transmission in most NBA markets considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be “high” or “substantial,” the league and union felt the additional urgency is now warranted. The NBA has seen an increased positivity rate among vaccinated players, team staff and family members of late, which is consistent with the trends in many places around the nation.
At least eight players are known to currently be in the league’s health and safety protocols, meaning they are believed to have tested positive for the virus. Another who had been in the protocols, Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris, played Thursday night in his first game back since testing positive.
About 97% of NBA players have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the league has said. The most notable holdout is Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, a perennial All-Star who is not being allowed by the Nets to play until he gets vaccinated.
FINES: Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, forward Joe Ingles and guard Donovan Mitchell and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner were fined by the NBA for their roles in an altercation Thursday night.
Gobert was fined $35,000 for initiating the altercation with 4:01 left in the Pacers’ 111-100 victory in Salt Lake City. Turner was fined $25,000 for escalating the altercation by shoving Gobert.
Ingles was fined $30,000 for making inappropriate contact with a game official, and Mitchell was docked $20,000 for escalating an altercation by verbally taunting an opponent.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
HORNETS 104, KNICKS 96: Miles Bridges scored 24 points on some high-flying dunks and spin moves, point guard LaMelo Ball had a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 12 points and nine assists, and Charlotte erased an early 16-point deficit to beat visiting New York.
Gordon Hayward added 22 points and seven assists, and Terry Rozier chipped in with 18 points as the Hornets outscored the Knicks 34-21 in the third quarter for just their second win in the last seven games.
Kemba Walker broke out of his shooting slump against his former team, scoring 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting for the Knicks, who have lost five of seven.
CAVALIERS 98, PISTONS 78: Darius Garland tied his season high with 21 points and rookie power forward Evan Mobley had 16 points and seven rebounds, leading Cleveland to a win at home.
Mobley, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, also blocked three shots, made two steals and hit a pair of 3-pointers in winning his first matchup with Detroit shooting guard Cade Cunningham, the top overall pick. Cunningham had nine points, six rebounds and a season-high seven turnovers.
SUNS 119, GRIZZLIES 94: Devin Booker and Jae Crowder scored 17 points each, Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists, and Phoenix dominated at Memphis for its seventh straight victory.
Mikal Bridges had 13 points as the defending Western Conference champion Suns controlled the game throughout, never trailing. Phoenix held a double-digit lead from the late stages of the first quarter through the end of the game.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
TRAIL BLAZERS 104, ROCKETS 92: Damian Lillard scored 20 points, CJ McCollum added 17 and Portland got its first road victory of the season.
Portland is 1-6 on the road and 5-1 at home. The Rockets are the league’s only winless team on the road at 0-7. They are an NBA-worst 1-11.
THUNDER 105, KINGS 103: Lu Dort stole the ball from De’Aaron Fox, then drove and made a layup with 1.7 seconds left to give Oklahoma City a victory over visiting Sacramento.
Sacramento’s Buddy Hield, the former University of Oklahoma star, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Thunder overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half to win their fourth straight game.
MAVERICKS 123, SPURS 109: Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-high 32 points, Luka Doncic had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds and visiting Dallas routed San Antonio.
Dallas clinched the season series against its intrastate rival with its third consecutive win over San Antonio in the season’s first 12 games.
NETS 120, PELICANS 112: James Harden highlighted a 39-point, 12-assist performance with a 27-foot 3-pointer with 29 seconds left, and Brooklyn rallied for a victory at New Orleans after blowing a 21-point lead.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points for the Nets, who’ve won seven of their last eight. Brooklyn handed the Pelicans their ninth straight loss.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.