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    NBA Christmas Day COVID update, odds: James Harden among Nets players cleared for matchup with Lakers

    Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving remain out, but Brooklyn should have enough players for one of the NBA's marquee Christmas Day NBA matchups
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    The NBA finally got some good news on the COVID front on Thursday when Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden cleared the league's health and safety protocols. The Nets vs. Lakers matchup, set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, is one of the marquee games on the NBA Christmas Day slate. 

    The NBA schedule has taken some major hits because of the current COVID surge, with nine games postponed entering Thursday, including the past three Brooklyn games. 

    In addition to Harden, forward Paul Millsap and guard Jevon Carter also were cleared Thursday, but Cam Thomas, David Duke and Kessler Edwards all entered the protocols. 

    Fellow Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving remain out and are expected to miss the Christmas Day matchup. LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre' Bembry, Bruce Brown, James Johnson and Day'Ron Sharpe also are in the health and safety protocols.

    There is still a chance some of those players could be cleared, with some nearing the 10-day quarantine requirement. Aldridge, Bembry, Brown and Johnson all entered the protocols on Dec. 14, along with the three cleared players, but need to produce two negative tests to be allowed to return. 

    Durant and Irving, who was expected to play a part-time role and play only in road games because he is not vaccinated, entered the protocols on Dec. 18.

    Durant is the NBA's leading scorer at 29.7 points per game, while Harden averages 20.8 and is second in the league in averaging 9.6 assists per contest. They share the team lead in rebounding at 7.9.  

    The Christmas Day NBA schedule remains in flux, with the league on Tuesday advising the 10 teams involved to be prepared for possible time changes. The league needs to fill the three ABC broadcast slots, so games could be rescheduled as late as Friday.

    The full day of NBA games starts with Hawks vs. Knicks at noon ET, followed by Celtics vs. Bucks at 2:30 p.m. ET and Warriors vs. Suns at 5 p.m. ET. The Nets visit the Lakers at 8, and the Mavericks vs. Jazz wraps things up at 10: 30 p.m. ET. 

    The Knicks and Mavericks contests are scheduled to be broadcast by ESPN and could be moved to the ABC time slots if necessary.

    The Lakers vs. Nets matchup was expected to have the star power, with LeBron James facing the star-studded Brooklyn squad, but the Suns vs. Warriors is an equally enticing showdown. 

    The Nets are listed as the +260 favorite to win the NBA title in the latest NBA futures odds from Caesars Sportsbook. The Warriors are the second choice at +600, followed by the Bucks (+750), Suns (+900) and Lakers (+1000).

    Irving has not received the COVID-19 vaccine and has been out the whole season, but he was expected to rejoin the team to play in road games. New York City has a vaccine mandate, so he would not be permitted to play in Brooklyn.

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    SportsLine Staff

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