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Sports briefs

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Dukes postponed

Duquesne had its men’s basketball games at Davidson, which was scheduled for Thursday night, and George Mason, which was to played Sunday at home, postponed because of COVID-19 protocols within the Dukes’ program.

The Dukes (5-7) have not played since a 76-54 win over Cal Irvine on Dec. 19.

Hall of Fame finalists announced

DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester, all in their first year of eligibility, are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2022.

The 15 modern-day players who will be considered on Jan. 18 by the selection committee include tackle Tony Boselli, in his sixth year as a finalist, and defensive lineman Richard Seymour, in his fourth year.

Other finalists announced Thursday are safety Leroy Butler, wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas – all finalists for the third time; defensive linemen Jared Allen and Bryant Young, and cornerback Ronde Barber, two-time finalists; and tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis, their first time in the finals.

A maximum of five modern-day players can be elected for enshrinement in August to the Canton, Ohio, hall. The inductees will be announced on Feb. 10 at NFL Honors, the prime-time TV program during which the Associated Press reveals its individual award winners for the 2021 season.

Three others – Dick Vermeil in the coaching category, Art McNally as a contributor, and Cliff Branch as a senior player – also are candidates for the class of 2022. Voting on each of those three will be held individually.

Hester is the rare finalist who made his mark mostly on special teams.

In the NBA

The NBA postponed another game for virus-related reasons Thursday, raising the total to 11 pushed back so far this season while two more head coaches entered the league’s health and safety protocols.

Golden State’s game at Denver was postponed because the Nuggets – through a combination of injuries and a newly discovered outbreak of the virus – did not have the league-minimum eight players available to start the contest.

Had they played, the Nuggets would have also been without head coach Michael Malone. He went into the protocols on Thursday, as did Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers.

  • The Cavaliers have made progress in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers about a trade involving veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, a person familiar with the potential deal told the Associated Press on Thursday.

Cleveland has been urgently looking for an experienced guard since Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending knee injury Tuesday night.

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