Houston's clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed after three Rockets players returned positive or inconclusive coronavirus tests.
With the NBA postponed due to COVID-19, players have time on their hands, so a select group will go head-to-head in the virtual world, starting Friday on ESPN.
The winner of the single-elimination Xbox One tournament, which runs through to April 11, will receive $100,000 to give to a charity in support of the coronavirus relief efforts.
Durant is the top seed, ahead of Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), Hassan Whiteside (Portland Trail Blazers), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Andre Drummond (Cleveland Cavaliers), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Clippers), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers), Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns), DeMarcus Cousins, Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets), Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards), Patrick Beverley (Los Angeles Clippers), Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings) and Derrick Jones Jr. (Miami Heat).
"We're thrilled to partner with the NBA and NBPA to bring basketball back to fans throughout the world and to help those in need during these uncertain times," said Jason Argent, 2K senior vice-president, sports strategy and licensing.
"Entertainment, especially sports, has the ability to bring communities together – including athletes, fans and families – and we hope that everyone will enjoy the tournament."
"We are excited to tip off the first 'NBA 2K Players Tournament' in partnership with the NBPA and 2K, continuing an ongoing effort to stay connected with NBA fans around the world, while also giving back in this time of need," said Matt Holt, NBA SVP of global partnerships.
Players' seeding is based on their NBA 2K rating, with two-time champion Durant 96 overall in the video game.
Durant, who contracted COVID-19 and has been recovering from an Achilles injury, will open the tournament against Jones on Friday.
With the NBA postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic, a charity tournament has been put together to raise money in support of COVID-19 relief efforts.
Winner of the single-elimination Xbox One tournament will receive $100,000 to give to charity, and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant – the top seed – was a high-profile casualty on Friday.
Fifth seed Booker defeated Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets 85-75 in the opening round, while sixth seed Drummond crushed former Golden State Warriors center DaMarcus Cousins 101-49.
Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards topped Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell 74-71 and Los Angeles Clippers center Montrezl Harrell eased past Indiana Pacers star Domantas Sabonis 73-51.
The quarters are now set, with Harrell to meet Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr., who stunned Durant on Friday.
Booker will play Hachimura, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young takes on Suns center Deandre Ayton and Drummond goes head-to-head against Clippers guard Patrick Beverley.
The tournament – being aired on ESPN – will continue on Tuesday and conclude on Saturday.
After signing a 10-day contract with the franchise, Cousins made his Clippers debut on Tuesday in a 133-116 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The center made an impact too, despite playing for just eight minutes. He contributed seven points, four rebounds and two assists, giving a glimpse of how he can make an impact for the team at both ends of the floor.
After being waived by the Houston Rockets in February – and having missed the entire 2019-20 season through injury – Cousins is determined to show he still belongs at the highest level.
"I put an incredible amount of work to get to this place," the four-time NBA All-Star told the media after his cameo against the Trail Blazers.
"I feel great, my body feels great. I think I'm probably in the best shape I've been in in my entire career.
"At this point, it's about going out there and putting everything together and just trying to continue to show that I'm healthy and I'm ready to play this game at a high level. I understand the situation I'm in.
"Whatever opportunity is given to me I plan on going out and taking full advantage of it. Just controlling what I can control."
Cousins averaged 9.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his 25-game stint with the Rockets.
His short-term deal with the Clippers sees him team up with some former team-mates in Rajon Rondo and Patrick Patterson, helping the acclimatisation process as he looks to earn an extended stay.
"I mean, it's no different than starting at a new school, you always want to gravitate towards the people that you're a little more comfortable with," he said.
"You know, they definitely played a big role making all of this become possible. Having those past relationships definitely helps."
Paul George scored 36 points as the Clippers capitalised on a fast start – they set a franchise record with 47 points in the first quarter - to down Portland.
Kawhi Leonard had 29 points and Reggie Jackson contributed 23 off the bench for Los Angeles, who have an 8-2 record in their last 10 games.
Cousins was a free agent after being waived by the Houston Rockets in February, the center having averaged 9.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season.
Now the 30-year-old has the chance to impress the Clippers, who sit third in the Western Conference with a 33-18 record and may want to add depth to their roster ahead of the postseason.
The franchise released pictures on social media of their latest acquisition already hard at work in the gym, potentially ahead of a debut against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
The four-time NBA All-Star is back in Los Angeles, having signed for the Lakers prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. However, he missed the entirety of their title-winning campaign due to a serious knee injury.
Selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft, Cousins has played in 590 games in his NBA career.
Twice selected on the All-NBA Second Team during his time with the Kings, he was eventually traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2017.
There has also been a stint with the Golden State Warriors that was hampered by a torn quadriceps muscle. He had signed a one-year deal with the Rockets in 2020, yet played just 25 games for them.
For his career, Cousins averages 20.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Hit by injuries in recent years, the four-time All-Star will try to revive his career in Houston, ESPN reported on Monday.
Cousins, 30, has played just 78 regular-season and eight playoff games since the start of 2017-18 following numerous injuries.
The center ruptured his left Achilles in early 2018 while with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Golden State Warriors later that year.
Cousins tore his left quadriceps late in the 2018-19 season, but did return as the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals.
He signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers last year, but tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in August and was waived in February 2020.
The Lakers went on to win the NBA championship last month.
Cousins has averaged 21.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in the regular season during an NBA career that started with the Sacramento Kings in 2010.
Houston have made the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, but are seemingly set for a rebuild with James Harden and Russell Westbrook reportedly seeking trades.
Harden's desire to move elsewhere was evident in the offseason as both the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers were heavily linked.
No deal was agreed before the campaign began, however, and the 2018 MVP has played in eight of the 3-6 Rockets' nine games so far, scoring 24.8 points per game - his worst average since joining the team in 2012.
Harden's frustrations boiled over after Houston's latest 117-100 defeat to defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
He stormed out of a post-game news conference after saying: "I literally have done everything that I can. This situation is crazy. It's something that I don't think can be fixed."
Those comments prompted backlash from All-Star team-mate John Wall, and Wednesday brought fresh reports of trade talks.
According to the New York Times, the Rockets want to do a deal with the Sixers for Ben Simmons and Tyrese Maxey, the rookie who has excelled amid Philadelphia's COVID-19 crisis.
The Athletic said Houston were looking for a swift resolution and could be offered all of the Nets' future first-round picks and pick swaps.
Harden's Rockets colleagues already look to be moving on, with DeMarcus Cousins facing the media on Wednesday to offer his take on the "antics".
"Obviously it's disrespectful, but everybody has their words and their opinions," Cousins said. "We feel a certain type of way about some of his actions.
"This is the nasty part of the business that kind of gets swept under the rug. You deal with these type of things when guys are in positions of being franchise players or whatever the case may be.
"It's sometimes or usually a nasty break-up. That's all part of this business.
"You know I'm going to say this: coming in every day, we want to work, get better, lead this younger group.
"Regardless of what's going on with the team, the guys that are showing up, that are committed, that are buying into the task at hand, we're going to go to war with those guys.
"Whatever those results are, we're going to live with it. We're going to leave it all on the floor and whatever happens happens."
He added: "The other 14 guys of the locker room have done nothing to him. We've only showed up to work like everybody else. It's completely unfair to the rest of the guys in the locker room."
Cousins was asked if he felt betrayed by Harden's behaviour, having only signed for the team last month, but replied he was more interested in playing with Wall.
"Me personally, I don't feel betrayed at all," he said. "My interest was to play with John Wall, to be brutally honest.
"That being said, the disrespect started way before any interview. [It was] just the approach to the training camp, showing up the way he did, the antics off the court.
"The disrespect started way before. This isn't something that all of a sudden happened last night. With that being said, this is the nasty part of the business. It is what it is."
Asked if there was any way Harden could be welcomed back into the team, Cousins said: "I don't really think that's a question for us.
"I think that's a question for him: will he ever play with us again? I don't know. Quite honestly, I don't care."
ESPN reports that John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Jae'Sean Tate were sent home from practice after rookie KJ Martin Jr. tested positive for COVID-19. Martin subsequently tested negative.
Rockets star James Harden, who has reportedly requested a trade, also violated NBA protocols when attending a public event.
That was confirmed in a statement from the NBA, which said the Rockets-Thunder clash would not go ahead as scheduled.
"The National Basketball Association game scheduled for tonight between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center has been postponed in accordance with the league's health and safety protocols," it read.
"Three Houston Rockets players have returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for coronavirus under the NBA's testing program. Following the contact tracing protocol, four other players are quarantined at this time.
"Additionally, James Harden is unavailable due to a violation of the health and safety protocols. All other Rockets players were tested again today, and all returned negative results. Houston has one additional player who is unavailable due to injury.
"As such, the Rockets do not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder."
The game was meant to be the first of the season for both the Rockets and Thunder after the campaign got underway on Tuesday.
Not since December 2018 had Wall played a game in the NBA – the star guard missing the last two seasons with injuries to his left Achilles tendon, left knee and left heel.
But Wall returned to the court on Friday after being dealt to the Rockets by the Washington Wizards.
Wall, who was traded by the Wizards along with a protected first-round pick for Russell Westbrook last week, posted 13 points in a 125-104 win over the Chicago Bulls.
"Tonight was just great to be back in an NBA game, period," said Wall, who was six-of-10 shooting against the Bulls in the absence of James Harden as the Rockets superstar reportedly seeks a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers or Brooklyn Nets.
Wall also had five rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 19 minutes of action away to the Bulls, after opening the game with an impressive layup.
"I just knew I was back," Wall said. "I know how much hard work I've been through the last two years. It was a surreal moment for me even though it was preseason."
DeMarcus Cousins, who signed a one-year deal with the Rockets in the offseason, had 14 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks during his 15 minutes.
"It's step by step with those guys," said first-year Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. "We really didn't know what to expect when those guys walked through the door, both of them coming off of injuries.
"They both played very well tonight. They both looked really good. They were fun. Hopefully, this is something we can build off of, but it's a day-by-day thing."
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Clippers topped city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers 87-81 – a warmup for their opening-night showdown on December 22.
NBA champions the Lakers were without star duo LeBron James and Anthony Davis for their preseason curtain raiser, while Montrezl Harrell had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds against former team the Clippers.
Paul George had 10 points in 14 minutes after signing a new max deal with the Clippers, and team-mate Kawhi Leonard finished with just three points.
The Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 116-112, the New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 90-84 and the Sacramento Kings fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 127-102.