The Houston Rockets will be without seven players for their season-opening game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, according to the league's injury report.
Ben McLemore and KJ Martin are both in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Gordon, and two-way player Mason Jones are out due to health and safety protocols after contact tracing linked them to players and team staff who have tested positive in recent days.
The seventh player, Chris Clemons, is out for the year after tearing his right Achilles tendon during the preseason.
James Harden isn't present on the injury report. The 31-year-old's NBA-mandated four-day quarantine following a violation of league health protocols expires Friday.
The Rockets' originally scheduled season opener versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday was postponed after Houston was unable to field the minimum eight players due to a litany of injuries and virus-related absences.
As of Christmas Day, the Rockets are expected to have enough players to avoid another major disruption to their schedule Saturday, sources told The New York Times' Marc Stein.
