NEW YORK — The NBA fined the Brooklyn Nets $50,000 on Monday for letting Kyrie Irving into their locker room during a game in which he was unable to play because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Irving was a spectator at Barclays Center on Sunday, sitting across from the Nets’ bench for Brooklyn’s 110-107 victory over the New York Knicks. There is no longer a mandate that fans be vaccinated to enter the arena, but there is still one requiring it for someone who works there.

So the star guard had a seat in the stands, just as he did a night earlier to watch the ACC tournament championship game. After the Nets game ended, he walked off arm-in-arm with Durant, who had scored a season-high 53 points, toward the locker room.

The league said in a statement Monday that the Nets violated New York City law and league health and safety protocols by permitting Irving to come into the locker room. Unlike the stands, the locker room is considered part of the team’s workplace environment.

Durant spent a good chunk of his postgame interview calling on New York City Mayor Eric Adams to change the mandate, calling it “ridiculous” that unvaccinated people could be in the arena but not play in it. Coach Steve Nash acknowledged during his postgame availability that Irving had been in the locker room at halftime.

The Nets released a statement from Durant on Monday in which he explained the criticism he directed a day earlier at Adams, who took office in January.

“The last two years have been a difficult and painful time for New Yorkers, as well as a very confusing time with the changing landscape of the rules and mandates,” Durant said. “I do appreciate the task the Mayor has in front of him with all the city has been through. My frustration with the situation doesn’t change the fact that I will always be committed to helping the communities and cities I live in, and play in.”

Until this week, proof of vaccination was required for fans. Though that mandate has been lifted, there is still one in place for those working at the arena. The Nets were already aggravated because that didn’t apply to visitors, allowing an unvaccinated opponent to play when Irving couldn’t. They seemed even more frustrated on Sunday, when Irving’s arrival created a scene at a nationally televised game.

JAPAN: The NBA announced that Golden State and Washington will be headed to Saitama, Japan, for the first two games of the 2022 preseason schedule. The Warriors and Wizards will play there on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2.

Those will be the first games for the NBA outside of North America since Jan. 24, 2020, when Milwaukee and Charlotte met in Paris for a regular-season game about six weeks before the global pandemic began.

MONDAY’S GAMES

CAVALIERS 120, CLIPPERS 111: Rookie big man Evan Mobley scored a season-high 30 points and Darius Garland had 24 points and 13 assists, sending Cleveland to an overtime victory at home.

Isaac Okoro added 20 points, including two free throws to open the overtime. Cleveland never trailed after that.

The Cavaliers hold a 1 1/2-game lead over Toronto for the sixth playoff spot in the East.

Ivica Zubac had 24 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, and Amir Coffey scored 19 for the Clippers, who had only nine players in uniform.

HAWKS 122, TRAIL BLAZERS 113: Trae Young scored 21 of his 46 points in the third quarter and host Atlanta recovered from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Portland.

Young, who scored 47 points a night earlier in a win over Indiana, added 12 assists against the Blazers.

Josh Hart led Portland with 31 points.

NUGGETS 114, 76ERS 110: Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead Denver past Joel Embiid and host Philadelphia in the battle of MVP contenders.

Embiid finished with 34 points and a scary fall that had the Sixers holding their breath.

Jeff Green clobbered Embiid on a drive to the basket with 3:13 left and the All-Star center landed smack on his tailbone. Embiid immediately grabbed at his back, but walked off the court on his own power as the play was reviewed. Green received a flagrant foul and Embiid went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to cut Denver’s lead to 107-106.

But Denver rookie Bones Hyland stole the show from both of the All-Star big men, burying his fourth 3 of the fourth quarter for a 110-108 lead that the Nuggets held on to. Hyland scored 21 points total.

Jokic won the MVP last season and Embiid was runner-up, and the franchise stars are again considered the frontrunners this season. Embiid entered the game leading the league in scoring at 29.8 points and Jokic was second at 26.1. He also averages 13.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists.

HORNETS 134, THUNDER 116: Terry Rozier scored 30 points, and visiting Charlotte beat Oklahoma City.

Charlotte rallied after falling behind by as many as 18 points in the second quarter. Miles Bridges had 27 points and six assists, and LaMelo Ball finished with 21 points and seven assists.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points and eight rebounds, and Darius Bazley scored 25 points.