The Nets have been spared from having to play with a decimated roster — at least for a couple of games.

The NBA postponed two Nets games, Sunday against the Denver Nuggets and Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, due to the rising spike in COVID-19 infections. As of Sunday evening, there are currently 10 Nets in health & safety protocols — including the entire Big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

The league announced the postponement of both Brooklyn tilts, as well as several others. Sunday’s Cleveland at Atlanta and New Orleans at Philadelphia games were also postponed, as was Orlando at Toronto on Monday.

According to Barclays Center, whenever the pair of games are rescheduled by the league, any tickets held for the original games will automatically be good for the new dates.

The shorthanded Nets had lost Saturday night against the Orlando Magic, playing without the 10 COVID-stricken players and two others (Joe Harris and Nic Claxton) missing due to injury. Coach Steve Nash was forced to start three rookies — something the Nets hadn’t done since 2008-09 — and fill out the bench with a trio of newcomers on recently signed 10-day contracts thanks to the hardship exception.

Barely able to field the league minimum of eight players, veteran guard Patty Mills had to suit up on what had originally been slated as a rest day and veteran big man Blake Griffin — whose knee surgeries have robbed him of much of his explosiveness and prevent him from playing back-to-backs — gutted out the entire second half in pain after banging knees with an Orlando player.

The Nets aren’t slated to play again until they head out for a three-game West Coast road swing. They are scheduled to play in Portland on Thursday, then at the Lakers in a nationally televised Christmas Day game that the powers-that-be clearly want to happen, and finally on Dec. 27 against the Clippers.

It’s unclear what chance any of the first round of players returning from COVID-19 have to be ready in time for that Christmas clash.

Paul Millsap was the first of the Nets to go into health & safety protocols, on Dec. 13. LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre’ Bembry, Jevon Carter and James Johnson all went into protocols the next day, with Harden and Bruce Brown going in hours later.

Durant and Irving went into protocol on Saturday as did first-round pick Day’Ron Sharpe that night.

All players must have two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart to get out of protocols. That includes Irving, despite his unvaccinated status. But the All-Star point guard will however be subject to a litany of draconian NBA strictures.

Irving will have to undergo daily testing before entering team facilities or interacting with other players and staffers, as well as:

He’ll even have to stay at his residence while in their home market and in their hotels while on the road, only leaving for essential activities like buying groceries. He won’t be permitted to visit restaurants, bars, clubs, entertainment venues or other large indoor gatherings; ie, no more taking in Seton Hall games.

Brooklyn added three hardship players, and was set to ink a fourth in Wenyen Gabriel, according to The Athletic, but there’s no confirmation the 6-foot-9 G-League forward has signed. The Nets had five hardships available, but that was before Durant, Irving and Sharpe went into protocols on Dec. 18.

There is precedent for a similar outbreak. Chicago returned to action Sunday after also having 10 players in health & safety protocols. The Bulls hadn’t played in eight days after having games Dec. 14 against Detroit and Dec. 16 against Toronto postponed. DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Javonte Green — their first three players sidelined — tested out of protocols, with seven more still out.

— Additional reporting by Greg Joyce