Houston Rockets arrive in Orlando as NBA restart nears

James Harden and Russell Westbrook aren’t there yet, but the vast majority of the Houston Rockets arrived in Orlando on Thursday night.

The majority of the Houston Rockets arrived in Orlando on Thursday night, with the team’s first practice in nearly four months scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the NBA’s nearby “bubble” complex.

The All-Star backcourt of former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook isn’t there yet, and neither is recent signing Luc Mbah a Moute. All are expected to join the team soon.

The rest of the traveling party, however, arrived on the team charter — including 69-year-old head coach Mike D’Antoni. The NBA chose not to object to his travel with the Rockets prior to Thursday’s flight, despite his age potentially leading to greater COVID-19 complications.

D’Antoni has said he is comfortable with the risks because he trusts the league’s safety protocols. He’s also willing to take basic precautions, such as wearing a mask during games and while on site.

All members of Houston’s traveling party, which includes GM Daryl Morey and a small handful of other essential personnel outside of players and coaches, will self-quarantine in their hotel rooms from Thursday night until Saturday while completing a pair of COVID-19 tests.

All who test negative will be released into the broader complex Saturday, just in time for Houston’s first practice in nearly four months.

The 2019-20 regular season for the Rockets is scheduled to resume on July 31, with the first of three scrimmages set for a week earlier.

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