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
Nikola Jokic (hamstring) — In
LeBron James (ankle) — Available
Anthony Davis (foot) — Available
Brandon Ingram (toe) — Available
DeMar DeRozan (hip) — Out
Dejounte Murray (migraine) — Available
Jamal Murray (knee) — Out
Rudy Gobert (groin) — In
Spencer Dinwiddie (traded) — Out
RJ Barrett (illness) — Available
Jonas Valanciunas (quad) — Available
Aaron Gordon (ankle) — In
Kyle Anderson (back) — Out
Recent NBA News
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Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Jericho Sims
RJ Barrett (illness) — Available
Mitchell Robinson (thumb) — Injured
Immanuel Quickley started in Barrett's stead Sunday, but Miles McBride and Evan Fournier absorbed most of Barrett's time. Randle (34.1%) and Brunson (32.7%) have posted heightened usage rates in the five matches they've played without Barrett this season.
Confirmed Lineup: Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Mo Bamba (suspension) — Out
Chuma Okeke (knee) — Injured
Wagner has seemingly hit a wall as the season has progressed. He's registered 19.5% usage during the last eight games after posting a 24.3% rate during the eight previous matches.
Confirmed Lineup: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Deandre Ayton
Devin Booker (groin) — In
Cam Payne (foot) — Injured
Landry Shamet (foot) — Injured
Booker confirmed that he will face a minute restriction, which will minimize the impact of his return to some degree. However, Paul, Bridges, and Ayton's offensive roles should diminish, while Torrey Craig, Dario Saric, and Ish Wainright play reduced time.
Confirmed Lineup: Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, Joe Harris, Royce O'Neale, Nic Claxton
Spencer Dinwiddie (traded) — Out
Ben Simmons (knee) — In
Dorian Finney-Smith (traded) — Out
TJ Warren (injury management) — Not on injury report
Yuta Watanabe (back) — Out
Kessler Edwards (traded) — Out
Kevin Durant (knee) — Injured
Seth Curry (adductor) — Injured
Cam Thomas scored 44 or more points in successive games while logging 41.3% usage. However, Simmons and Dinwiddie could start and assume a majority of on-ball reps, causing Thomas to be demoted to a more narrow reserve role.
Confirmed Lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, John Collins, Clint Capela
Trae Young (illness) — Not on injury report
Dejounte Murray (migraine) — Available
Young has averaged 23.2 points on 39.5% shooting and 11.0 assists in the six games he has played this season following a one-game absence. He's averaged 27.0 points on 43.0% shooting and 9.9 assists throughout the season.
Confirmed Lineup: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy, Jonas Valanciunas
Brandon Ingram (toe) — Available
Jonas Valanciunas (quad) — Available
Dyson Daniels (ankle) — Injured
Zion Williamson (hamstring) — Injured
Offensive opportunities should decline with Ingram and Valanciunas expected to rejoin the lineup. Ingram has posted the fourth-highest usage rate (36.1%) league-wide since returning from injury, causing McCollum's usage to decline to 23.0% in that time.
Confirmed Lineup: Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic
DeMar DeRozan (hip) — Out
Patrick Williams (ankle) — In
Alex Caruso (foot) — In
Javonte Green (knee) — Injured
Lonzo Ball (knee) — Injured
DeRozan could struggle to find his spots against Memphis' defense: their opponents have attempted mid-range shots at the eighth-lowest volume (28.7%) and made the third-lowest percentage (40.1%) of those attempts. Vucevic has dished out between four and six assists in the last five games, registering a 20.7% assist rate after posting a 14.4% rate in his first 48 matches this season.
Confirmed Lineup: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman
Ja Morant (wrist) — Not on injury report
Ziaire Williams (G League) — Out
Kennedy Chandler (G League) — Out
Jake LaRavia (G League) — Out
Steven Adams (knee) — Injured
Tillman posted 11.1% usage and a 15.2% rebound rate while averaging 28.9 minutes during the last three games, and Brandon Clarke averaged 17.9 minutes during those contests. Tillman's bulk should continue to be valued against a Bulls team that has utilized both Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond at the five lately.
Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert (groin) — In
Kyle Anderson (back) — Out
Austin Rivers (suspension) — Out
Jordan McLaughlin (injury management) — Available
Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) — Injured
Anderson left Sunday's game early again due to back spasms, but coach Finch admitted postgame that they took a cautious approach after they got out to an early lead against a shorthanded Nuggets team. Russell made 44.7% of his 10.3 three-point attempts per game during the previous ten matches, but his hot shooting will be tested against a healthier Denver team that allowed the fewest made threes per game (10.2) at the fourth-lowest percentage (33.9%) during their last 15 contests.
Confirmed Lineup: Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic (hamstring) — In
Jamal Murray (knee) — Out
Aaron Gordon (ankle) — In
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) — In
Zeke Nnaji (shoulder) — Out
Jack White (adductor) — Available
Coach Malone appears set to continue to deploy Christian Braun instead of Bones Hyland, at least until the trade deadline. Braun has registered a usage rate 15.4% lower than Hyland's clip when sharing the floor with Murray this season. As a result, Murray and Bruce Brown should generate more of the offense on the second unit.
Confirmed Lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Kenrich Williams, Jaylin Williams
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (G League) — TBD
Ousmane Dieng (G League) — TBD
Lu Dort (hamstring) — Injured
Aleksej Pokusevski (leg) — Injured
Chet Holmgren (foot) — Injured
The Thunder have posted a 2-4 record and scored the fifth-fewest points per 100 possessions (109.3) while playing on zero days of rest this season. While the Lakers boast a 7-4 record against teams playing the second game of a back-to-back set, they've allowed the sixth-most points per 100 possessions (118.0) in those contests.
Confirmed Lineup: Dennis Schroder, Patrick Beverley, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis
LeBron James (ankle) — Available
Anthony Davis (foot) — Available
Austin Reaves (hamstring) — Available
James is 36 points away from breaking the all-time scoring record. The Lakers' next two games will be nationally televised, and James could be incentivized to rest. Schroder and Russell Westbrook will handle additional facilitating responsibilities, while Davis and Hachimura will also play inflated offensive roles if James is ruled out.