NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 3/26

Mar 26th 2024

Cooper Boni

Each day, this column will provide live updates for all NBA news. Enjoy up-to-the-minute alerts for injuries and lineup confirmations. The Key News to Watch section will highlight notable injuries to monitor for the current NBA slate.

Key NBA News to Watch

  • Luka Doncic (Achilles) — In

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) — In

  • LeBron James (ankle) — Out

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles) — Available

  • Jimmy Butler (illness) — Out

  • Khris Middleton (ankle) — In

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Golden State Warriors News

Confirmed Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green

  • Trayce Jackson-Davis (knee) — Out

The Warriors lost their most recent game, and Curry took a noticeably long rest during the second half. Afterward, coach Kerr was asked about the decision to keep him on the bench and explained that he didn't want to overwork Curry. "We're trying to get him as much rest as we can," Kerr said. "We played him 35 minutes two days ago. So as long as we were hanging in there, we wanted to limit the minutes a little bit. Not limit them, but not overplay him." Golden State will look to turn it around against the Heat, who beat the Warriors in their lone meeting of the season. Miami is coming off a 37-point win versus the Cavs.

Miami Heat News

Confirmed Lineup: Terry Rozier, Patty Mills, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Bam Adebayo

  • Jimmy Butler (illness) — Out

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. (ankle) — In

  • Caleb Martin (ankle) — Available

  • Kevin Love (heel) — Out

  • Duncan Robinson (back) — Out

  • Tyler Herro (foot) — Injured

  • Josh Richardson (shoulder) — Out for season

Los Angeles Lakers News

Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis

  • D'Angelo Russell (illness) — Not on injury report

  • LeBron James (ankle) — Out

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles) — Available

  • Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured

  • Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) — Injured

  • Christian Wood (knee) — Injured

  • Jalen Hood-Schifino (back) — Injured

  • Colin Castleton (wrist) — Injured

The Lakers will likely be without James for the 10th time this season. They've gone 5-4 without him, and Davis has seen a +4.1% usage rate differential, while Russell has also seen increased usage. Los Angeles will face the Bucks, who have the league's seventh-best Offensive Rating (117.5) in March. However, both teams rank bottom five in Defensive Rating this month. Despite the recent porous defense, the Lakers have won three games in a row, while Milwaukee has won each of their previous two outings.

Milwaukee Bucks News

Confirmed Lineup: Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

  • AJ Green (illness) — Not on injury report

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) — In

  • Khris Middleton (ankle) — In

  • MarJon Beauchamp (back) — Available

  • Patrick Beverley (wrist) — Out

Oklahoma City Thunder News

Confirmed Lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

  • Lu Dort (face, nose) — Not on injury report

Dort exited the previous outing early but appears to be ready for a matchup between two of the top teams in the Western Conference. The Thunder (+3.6) and Pelicans (+12.0) both rank top ten in Net Rating this month. Each team is a top-five seed, and while the Pelicans will be without Brandon Ingram (knee), the contest should be competitive. Oklahoma City and New Orleans have split the season series thus far, and this contest will be their final meeting of the regular season.

New Orleans Pelicans News

Confirmed Lineup: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas

  • Brandon Ingram (knee) — Injured

  • Dyson Daniels (knee) — Injured

Dallas Mavericks News

Confirmed Lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford

  • Luka Doncic (Achilles) — In

  • Maxi Kleber (knee) — Available

  • Josh Green (ankle) — Injured

The Mavs continue to climb the standings, winning eight of their last nine games, and Doncic and Irving have played admirably. During the nine-game stretch, they've combined to average 54.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 16.7 assists per game. Dallas has also had the league's fourth-best Defensive Rating (107.8) over that span. They'll look to stay hot against a Kings team that will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back set.

Sacramento Kings News

Confirmed Lineup: De'Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

  • Sasha Vezenkov (ankle) — Out

  • Kevin Huerter (shoulder) — Injured

  • Trey Lyles (knee) — Injured