The NBA announced Wednesday morning that the Thursday night game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Portland Trail Blazers has been postponed. Brooklyn doesn't have the required eight players to take the court, making this its third straight postponed game this season.
Per the NBA's statement:
The NBA announced today that the Brooklyn Nets at Portland Trail Blazers game scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 23 has been postponed. The Nets do not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with the game against the Trail Blazers.
The Nets have the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the NBA right now, with 10 players currently sidelined, including Kevin Durant, James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyrie Irving, who the Nets recently decided could return to the team as a part-time player and will only participate in road games due to being unvaccinated.
Brooklyn hasn't played since Dec. 18 when it lost to the Orlando Magic with a lineup that featured several young players as well as those the team signed to 10-day contracts to make up for the number of players in the league's health and safety protocols.
The next game on Brooklyn's schedule is on Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Lakers, and if the Nets still can't field enough players then that marquee matchup could be in jeopardy, too.