James Harden will be in quarantine until Saturday (NZT), meaning the Houston Rockets star could be eligible to play Saturday when his team is to finally open its season in Portland.
The Rockets were scheduled to play on Thursday against Oklahoma City, a game postponed for a variety of coronavirus issues. Among them was Harden declared unavailable to play after the NBA determined he violated the league’s health and safety protocols.
Under NBA rules, a team needs eight healthy players to play, and the Rockets were one short. They have 16 players on the roster, and nine were out: One was injured; three returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for coronavirus; four other players are quarantined as part of the virus protocols; and Harden was ineligible.
The NBA’s medical staff determined Harden needed to quarantine for four days, before he can return to practice, games or team activities. The league was still reviewing to see if any other quarantine decisions were needed for other Rockets players.
