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NBA: Spurs’ Poeltl, Cavs’ Markkanen enter health protocols

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Field Level Media/Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Poetl (left) is expected to miss several games, while Markkanen will miss Wednesday night" s="" home="" game="" against="" the="" Trail="" Blazers.="" Trevor="" Ruszkowski="" and="" Sam="" USA="" Today="" Sports="" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/11/04/poetl.jpg"/><figcaption>Poetl (left) is expected to miss several games, while Markkanen will miss Wednesday night&#x27;s home game against the Trail Blazers. <em>Trevor Ruszkowski and Sam Sharpe, USA Today Sports/Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen entered the NBA&#x27;s health and safety protocols Wednesday. </p><p>Poeltl is expected to miss several games, The Athletic reported, while Markkanen will miss Wednesday night&#x27;s (US time) home game against the Portland Trail Blazers</p><p>Whether Poeltl, 26, tested positive for COVID-19 or was identified as a close contact was not immediately known.</p><p>The Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.</p><p>The 7-foot-1 Poeltl is averaging career highs in points (13.9), rebounds (9.7) and assists (2.6) through seven starts this season, his fourth campaign with San Antonio.</p><p>He has averaged 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots in 355 career games (104 starts) with the Spurs and Toronto Raptors (2016-18), who drafted him ninth overall in 2016 out of Utah.</p><p>Another Cavaliers big man, Kevin Love, entered the protocols on Monday.</p><p>It&#x27;s unclear whether Markkanen tested positive for COVID-19. The Cavaliers reportedly are 100 percent vaccinated.</p><p>Markkanen, 24, is averaging 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in eight games (all starts) this season, his first with Cleveland after being acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with Chicago in August.</p><p>A 2017 first-round pick (seventh overall), the Finland native has career marks of 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds and is a 36.3-percent 3-point shooter through 229 games (203 starts) with the Bulls (2017-21) and Cavaliers.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1741477" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Poetl is expected to miss several games, while Markkanen will miss Wednesday night's home game against the Trail Blazers.