The NBA’s highest-profile showcase has been robbed of its highest-scoring player.

The Nets are getting James Harden back for Christmas, but both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still stuck in NBA health and safety protocols and officially have been ruled out of the nationally televised game Saturday against the Lakers.

Though Harden reportedly looked sharp as the Nets finally resumed practice following a COVID-19 outbreak-forced shutdown, coach Steve Nash ruled out any chance of Irving playing either on Christmas or two days later against the Clippers.

All-Star Anthony Davis will be out for the Lakers, so the absences clearly take some of the luster off the league’s prime limelight game (8 p.m., ABC).

“It’s a game that both teams want to win, no matter what circumstances. Is it going to be one of the premier games that I’m accustomed to playing on Christmas Day? No. So many guys out,” the Lakers’ LeBron James admitted. “You know this whole protocol thing has gotten a lot worse for a lot of the teams in the league right now.”

DeAndre’ Bembry cleared protocols Thursday morning, and Bruce Brown and James Johnson came out later that night, but the Nets still will be bereft of Durant, Irving, LaMarcus Aldridge, David Duke Jr., Kessler Edwards, Day’Ron Sharpe and Cam Thomas, due to positive or inconclusive COVID-19 tests.

Joe Harris is also recovering from an ankle injury, though big men Nic Claxton (wrist) and Blake Griffin (knee) are expected to be ready to face the Lakers.

It will be the Nets’ first game since losing to the Magic last Saturday. Their last three scheduled games were postponed due to their COVID woes.

“We just do the best we can,” Nash said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming off extended break. Nobody’s in great condition, so we have to manage the group, try to be as competitive as possible, and at the same time be careful. Guys coming out and playing the game after an absence like this is tricky.

“We’ll do what we can. A lot of these decisions are still to be made before the game, during the game, as the game goes on. We just have to be very fluid, adaptable and a great attitude and take it as an opportunity.”

In addition to the three who cleared protocols on Friday, the Nets are expected to have Harden, Claxton, Griffin, Jevon Carter, Patty Mills, Paul Millsap and hardship replacements James Ennis III, Wenyen Gabriel, Langston Galloway and Shaquille Harrison. But as they’re painfully aware, the situation is fluid.

“To be honest, it’s been a few days but it feels like months since we’ve all been together. We just had team practice and trying to put the game plan in for a big Christmas Day game,” Mills said. “Definitely good and really looking forward to getting back on the floor for Christmas.”

One of the few certainties is that Irving won’t join them in Los Angeles. The All-Star hasn’t played so far this season and hasn’t even practiced since the San Diego leg of training camp. Once he clears protocols, he still must work his way back before making his debut, so he wasn’t brought to California.

“No, we haven’t. He’s still in protocols,” Nash said. “And he needs to ramp up, so we won’t see Kyrie on this trip.”

Upon returning from California, the Nets will play seven of their next nine games at home, where Irving is ineligible due to being unvaccinated. They won’t go on the road again until they play at Indiana on Jan. 5 and at Chicago a week later.

If Durant — who is averaging a league-high 29.7 points — tests out of protocols in time, he could join the Nets for Monday’s game against the Clippers. But until he returns, be it on this West Coast swing or after, the Nets will have to make do.

“Yeah, for the most part we still have a good amount of us that’s back now,” said Bembry, adding they can help bring the replacements along. “Now that we got James back and a few more players, they should be able to follow the lead and go out there and not really worry about stuff.”