NBA releases Christmas Day schedule

Christmas Day is one of the biggest days for the NBA, which likely played a role in the league trying to get the upcoming season started when it shall. Tuesday, the league released the docket of games for the sun’s birthday. Here are the slate of games: Pelicans @ Heat (12pm ET) Warriors @ Bucks (2:30pm ET) Nets @ Celtics (5pm ET) Mavericks @ Lakers (8pm ET) Clippers @ Nuggets (10:30pm ET)

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KD denies that he spoke with James Harden about trade to the Nets

from ShannaMcCarriston of cbssports.com: Kevin Durant says any talk that he spoke to James Harden about joining the Brooklyn Nets is false. On Tuesday, K.D. denied reports of any involvement from his end, saying he has no clue how the rumors began. K.D. says which players they get is not up to him, but the front office (via ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth): “They’re making these stories up. … I don’t know where that came from. James is a friend of mine, but I let the front office handle all of that stuff. I was just so focused…

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Kemba Walker to miss the start of season with knee issue

From nba.com: The Boston Celtics will start the 2020-21 season without one of their top players in the mix. Guard Kemba Walker, an All-Star last season, will be out until at least early January as he works to strengthen his troublesome left knee. Per the team, Walker consulted with multiple specialists in early October and received a stem cell injection in his left knee. Afterward, he was put on a 12-week strengthening program. He is expected to return to on-court activities in early December, but his status for game availability…

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Warriors delay start of individual workout, two players test positive for COVID-19

From nba.com: The Golden State Warriors will delay the start of individual workouts after two players tested positive for COVID-19, general manager Bob Myers announced on Tuesday. The team’s individual player workouts will instead begin on Wednesday, with group player workouts beginning next week. The league stated in a health-and-safety protocol guide that was distributed to teams last week that any player who tests positive, even if asymptomatic, must wait 10 days and then be monitored in individual workouts for an additional two days. To return to work, both players must go…

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Lull Deng coached South Sudan on verge of AfroBasket qualification

from Liam Santamaria at nbl.com.au: With a trio of former NBL players leading from the front, South Sudan turned heads at last week’s FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in Rwanda. The South Sudanese national team was added to the tournament as a last-minute replacement and, despite limited preparation, completed the initial round of group phase games with an impressive 2-1 record. The squad, coached by two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng and featuring a host of South Sudanese-Australians, lost their initial game to top-ranked Nigeria but bounced back to defeat both Mali…

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Andrew Bogut is hanging up his sneakers

from nbl.com.au: Andrew Bogut has announced his retirement from professional basketball, effective immediately. The former Sydney Kings superstar revealed the news on his Rogue Bogues podcast, citing numerous injury issues as the main reason for his retirement. “The decision hasn’t been an easy one, but I think it is the right decision. The decision that I made and where I will be signing for next season is absolutely nowhere. I will be retiring from professional basketball, effective immediately,” Bogut said. Andrew Bogut has announced his retirement from professional basketball, effective…

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FIBA postpones both of North Macedonia’s games in the November window

Following several positive COVID-19 test amongst North Macedonia team members, FIBA made the decision to postpone both of its games -against Italy and Estonia- in the November window of the EuroBasket qualifiers. From FIBA: Following the Covid-19 Protocol for FIBA Official National Team and Club Competitions and the advice of its Medical Commission, FIBA has decided to postpone both North Macedonia FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers games scheduled to take place in November to the February 2021 window. Additional tests were performed yesterday, and with the health and safety of payers,…

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Bam Adebayo and Heat agree on five-year extension

From the AP’s Tim Reynolds: MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo came to the NBA with the goal of providing for his mother and changing her life. His first contract took care of that. And the way he sees it, his next contract sets his family up for generations. Adebayo and the Miami Heat agreed on a five-year extension that will be worth at least $163 million, the team and Adebayo’s agent Alex Saratsis said Tuesday. It will be the richest contract in terms of total value in Heat history. “This is…

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NBA disseminates 2020-21 health and safety protocols

from Steve Aschburner of nba.com The league has distributed to teams a health-and-safety protocol guide for the 2020-21 NBA season, outlining procedures for how it will deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily testing began this weekend in advance of training camps opening next week. Individual workouts through Monday will be voluntary, followed by required individual workouts Tuesday through Saturday, with required group workouts scheduled for Dec. 6-10. Among other key provisions in the document: • Occurrence of independent cases (not spread among players or staff), or a small or “expected…

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