HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) - The Rockets season opener vs the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night has been postponed after three Houston players returned either positive or inconclusive COVID-19 tests, the NBA announced in a statement.
The Rockets had been conducting contract tracing all day Wednesday after Kenyon Martin Jr. tested positive for the virus.
League rules require teams to have at least eight players available to them in order to play a game. As a result of the potential outbreak, the Rockets would not have had enough players to field a team for the opener.
Several Rockets players including DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall were among the players the team sent home Wednesday as they underwent contract tracing. Both players were expected to miss the game despite testing negative for the virus, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Per Wojnarowski, Wall, Cousins and Martin were among players who gathered at an apartment to get haircuts.
As for Harden, it's not clear when he'll be able to return to action or if he'll face punishment from the league, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported.
According to that same report, the viral video "purportedly from a Houston club's Christmas party held this week" shows Harden without a mask on, which is a violation of the league's COVID-19 protocols.
Harden reportedly told the league's investigators that he "believed he was in compliance with NBA health and safety protocols," and attended a seated dinner for a friend who had just received a promotion at work.
Earlier Wednesday, ESPN and Black Sports Online reported that the video of Harden was taken at a strip club.