Denver Nuggets guards Bones Hyland and Austin Rivers have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will not be available to play on Wednesday versus the Orlando Magic.
The news was first reported by Katy Winge of Altitude TV.
The timeline for the two players to return to the court is not known but a positive coronavirus test would cost either player as many as 10 days. They could return sooner if they return two consecutive negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart.
The Nuggets will enter the contest on Wednesday with just four healthy guards available — Monte Morris, Will Barton, Facu Campazzo and Markus Howard. Without Hyland and Rivers, they will be down to just 11 players available to play for the foreseeable future.
The Nuggets will be without both Austin Rivers and Bones Hyland for tonight’s game vs Orlando. Both have entered health and safety protocols.
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) December 1, 2021
Hyland recently missed two games with an ankle injury but returned on Monday to score a career-high 19 points in a win over the Miami Heat as the Nuggets started a seven-game road trip. Rivers had also started to come around, averaging 7.3 points over his last seven games.
Of course, the Nuggets started the 2021-22 campaign without Jamal Murray and recently learned that PJ Dozier (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (back) are expected to miss the rest of the season. They have gone with a next-man-up mantra, and will need to continue to rely on that.
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