PORTLAND, OR — And then there were seven. The Portland Trail Blazers have turned into a mystery as player after player had to be removed from the active roster as they got ready for their Monday night game against the Dallas Mavericks.

And it wasn't just players – head coach Chauncey Billups is also sidelined.

The majority of the absences were due to the league's COVID-19 spurred health and safety protocols.

The health and safety protocols list has Billups, Keljin Blevins, Robert Covington, Ben McLemore, Jeff Nurkic, Dennis Smith Jr., Trendon Watford, and Cody Zelle.

Meanwhile, CJ McCollum is still recovering from a collapsed right lung and Damian Lillard is dealing with personal issues.

People on the health and safety protocols list will have to sit at least six days and return to negative PCR tests within 24 hours before being eligible to play.

The Blazers signed three players to 10-day contracts to get them through the next stretch when they have seven games in 14 days.

Each NBA team is required to have at least eight active players to play a game. If the Blazers had not signed guard Jarron Cumberland, forward Cameron McGriff, and. guard Brandon Williams, they would have had to postpone the game.

The Blazers were on the other side of that equation last week then the Brooklyn Nets were shorthanded and had to postpone.

This article originally appeared on the Portland Patch