SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and the Utah Jazz beat the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves 128-116. Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points and Mike Conley scored 17 points as the Jazz won for the 10th time in 12 games. Malik Beasley scored a season-high 33 points and D’Angelo Russell had 19 and matched a career high with 14 assists for Minnesota.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets don’t expect Kevin Durant to be available for their Christmas showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Steve Nash says James Harden has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but he says the Nets don’t expect any of their players still in the protocols to come out in time for the game. Other players added to the league’s protocols Thursday include Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Washington’s Bradley Beal. Meanwhile, a person with direct knowledge of the matter says the NBA and players union are discussing whether to change the current protocols about returning to play after a positive test. That’s typically taken 10 days or more in most cases.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cooper Kupp is on a roll for the Los Angeles Rams. He leads the NFL in receptions, yards receiving and touchdown catches. No player has finished first in all three categories since 2005. The Rams are 10-4 and even with Arizona for the NFC West lead. They play at Minnesota on Sunday. The Vikings will have their hands full with Kupp. They won’t be caught off guard. Kupp had his breakout game against them in 2018 with nine catches, 162 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings are 7-7 and currently control a three-way tie for the third wild card spot.
UNDATED (AP) — Both Saints veteran quarterbacks, Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian, Minnesota star running back Dalvin Cook and Cleveland center JC Tretter, the NFL Players Association president, tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. But Washington is getting back quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Hill and Siemian were among nine players for New Orleans placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The others include such key players as safety Malcolm Jenkins and tackle Jordan Mills, who is expected to start Monday night against Miami. Tretter posted on Twitter that he was experiencing symptoms and chose to be tested at the team’s facility in Berea, Ohio.
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