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
Anthony Davis (foot) — In
Trae Young (groin) — Available
De'Aaron Fox (wrist) — Available
Paul George — Not on injury report
Jimmy Butler (knee) — In
Jonas Valanciunas (calf) — Out
Anfernee Simons (ankle) — Out
Aaron Gordon (rib) — In
Michael Porter Jr. (injury management) — In
Dennis Schroder (ankle) — In
Ivica Zubac (calf) — Out
Norman Powell (shoulder) — Out
PJ Washington (foot) — Out
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Confirmed Lineup: Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Jonathan Isaac (hamstring, adductor) — Injured
The Hornets have allowed the fourth-fewest made threes per game (11.0) but the third-most points in the paint per game (55.5) during their last 15 contests. Fultz (9.2), Banchero (8.5), and Wagner (7.1) have scored the most points in the paint per game on the team during Orlando's last 15 matches.
Confirmed Lineup: Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre, Gordon Hayward, JT Thor, Mark Williams
PJ Washington (foot) — Out
Cody Martin (knee) — Out
Theo Maledon (G League) — Out
James Bouknight (G League) — Out
LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Injured
Rozier (+6.0%), Dennis Smith Jr. (+4.9%), and Oubre (+4.2%) have recorded the highest usage differentials on the Hornets, while Hayward (+8.0%), Rozier (+6.4%), and Smith Jr. (+5.4%) have logged the highest assist rate differentials on the team with Ball, Washington, and Mason Plumlee off the floor this season.
Confirmed Lineup: Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Jerami Grant, Drew Eubanks
Anfernee Simons (ankle) — Out
Ryan Arcidiacono (back) — Out
Ibou Badji (knee) — Out
Jusuf Nurkic (calf) — Injured
Justise Winslow (ankle) — Injured
Reddish, Shaedon Sharpe, and Keon Johnson should resume playing increased minutes in Simons' expected absence. Lillard (41.4%), Johnson (25.7%), and Grant (24.7%) have led the Trail Blazers in usage with Simons and Nurkic off the court this season.
Confirmed Lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, John Collins, Clint Capela
Trae Young (groin) — Available
Capela leads the Hawks with 10.8 points in the paint per game, and his 14.9% offensive rebound rate ranks third among starters. He could be set up for a big performance against a Trail Blazers team that has registered the third-worst defensive rebound rate (68.2%) and allowed the fourth-most points in the paint per game (56.2) with Jusuf Nurkic (calf) sidelined for their previous 11 matches.
Confirmed Lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nic Claxton
Edmond Sumner (personal) — Out
Yuta Watanabe (back) — Out
Ben Simmons (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams
Derrick White (neck) — Not on injury report
Malcolm Brogdon (ankle) — Out
Danilo Gallinari (ACL) — Injured
In theory, the Nets should be able to provide the Celtics with a challenging defensive matchup because they have a surplus of standout defensive wings to deploy against Brown and Tatum. In reality, Brooklyn's defense hasn't clicked yet: they've posted the second-worst defensive rating (124.3) and logged a 1-6 record since Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson debuted seven games ago.
Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
The Knicks have played the Heat seven times since coach Thibodeau accepted their head coaching position. All seven of those contests finished with 215 points or less, and the two teams have continued to play at two of the four slowest paces in the league this season.
Confirmed Lineup: Gabe Vincent, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Bam Adebayo
Jimmy Butler (knee) — In
Caleb Martin (ankle) — Available
Kyle Lowry (knee) — Injured
Nikola Jovic (back) — Injured
Omer Yurtseven (ankle) — Injured
Butler didn't return to Wednesday's game when the Heat were trailing by double-digits in the fourth quarter, and coach Spoelstra said postgame that Butler would have continued playing had the game been competitive. If Butler misses additional time, Max Strus would likely start while Herro, Adebayo, and Victor Oladipo play central offensive roles.
Confirmed Lineup: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton
Terrence Ross (toe) — Out
Landry Shamet (foot) — Injured
Durant finished with 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting in 26.8 minutes during his team debut Wednesday. He said he was surprised by his minute load postgame, and coach Williams said Durant will remain on a minute restriction for the next week or so.
Confirmed Lineup: Patrick Beverley, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic
Javonte Green (knee) — Injured
Lonzo Ball (knee) — Injured
LaVine has caught fire coming out of the All-Star break, averaging 29.3 points on 28.1% usage and a 73.9 eFG% (54.2% from three). DeRozan logged reduced 24.5% usage during those contests, suggesting he might not be 100% post-quad injury.
Confirmed Lineup: Talen Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, Walker Kessler
Jordan Clarkson (thumb) — Out
Ochai Agbaji (leg) — Not on injury report
Collin Sexton (hamstring) — Injured
Utah's offense struggled mightily with Clarkson joining Sexton on the inactive list Tuesday, mustering only 94 points at home against a Spurs team that had been winless in their previous 16 games. Horton-Tucker (70.0), Olynyk (66.0), Kris Dunn (55.0), and Markkanen (52.0) led the Jazz in touches by a wide margin during that contest and will need to do more with them. Dunn notably picked up a few minutes after Agbaji left midway through the third quarter and didn't return.
Confirmed Lineup: Josh Giddey, Isaiah Joe, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal, health protocols) — Out
Lindy Waters (G League) — Out
Ousmane Dieng (G League) — Available
Jared Butler (signed) — Available
Kenrich Williams (wrist) — Injured
Aleksej Pokusevski (leg) — Injured
Chet Holmgren (foot) — Injured
Isaiah Joe has averaged 28.8 minutes, and Aaron Wiggins has averaged 23.8 minutes during Gilgeous-Alexander's absence. This roster will be increasingly thinned if Waters or Dieng aren't recalled from the G-League, which could provide Tre Mann, Dario Saric, and Robinson-Earl an opportunity to also play extended minutes.
Confirmed Lineup: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman
Steven Adams (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Aaron Gordon (rib) — In
Michael Porter Jr. (injury management) — In
Vlatko Cancar (wrist) — Out
Zeke Nnaji (shoulder) — Out
Denver has generally excelled against teams with top-ten defensive ratings, posting a 13-7 record and scoring the most points per 100 possessions (117.3) against those squads. However, Memphis has registered the second-best defensive rating (109.9) this season and limited the Nuggets to 94 points in a decisive 112-94 victory with Gordon sidelined last Saturday.
Confirmed Lineup: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy, Willy Hernangomez
Jonas Valanciunas (calf) — Out
Josh Richardson (personal) — Out
Larry Nance Jr. (ankle) — Injured
Jose Alvarado (leg) — Injured
Zion Williamson (hamstring) — Injured
Hernangomez has logged 22.3% usage this season, comparable to Valanciunas' 23.0% clip and significantly ahead of Jaxson Hayes' 14.5% rate. Hernangomez started in Valanciunas' stead Wednesday but played just 20.9 minutes because his defense was a liability in space against the Trail Blazers. Hayes was in foul trouble Wednesday but could play increased time against a Warriors team that could test Hernangomez's mobility even more, causing additional usage to become available.
Confirmed Lineup: Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney
Andre Iguodala (hip) — Out
Andrew Wiggins (personal) — Out
Patrick Baldwin Jr. (ankle) — Out
Gary Payton II (adductor) — Injured
Stephen Curry (leg) — Injured
Partially influenced by Curry and Wiggins' absences, Thompson posted an 18.6% defensive rebound rate during the last four games. He recorded a 9.1% clip during his first 47 games this season.
Confirmed Lineup: Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Paul George, Nicolas Batum, Mason Plumlee
Kawhi Leonard (injury management) — Out
Paul George — Not on injury report
Norman Powell (shoulder) — Out
Ivica Zubac (calf) — Out
Marcus Morris (elbow) — Out
Powell's left arm was in a sling following Thursday's game. George and Westbrook could play increasingly central offensive roles if they play while Leonard and Powell are sidelined against the Kings. Gordon and Terance Mann would play extended minutes and provide secondary scoring options in that event.
Confirmed Lineup: De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
De'Aaron Fox (wrist) — Available
Richaun Holmes (illness) — Out
Fox said he expects to play against the Clippers after he logged a full practice Thursday. Huerter and Barnes' offensive roles will decline most sharply while Davion Mitchell returns to a bench role if Fox rejoins the lineup.
Confirmed Lineup: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Rudy Gobert
Jaylen Nowell (knee) — Out
Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) — Injured
While playing next to Conley could be paying dividends, McDaniels' short-term scoring spike should prove unsustainable. He averaged 15.4 points on a 72.9 eFG% during the last five games and 11.2 points on a 57.9 eFG% during his previous 56 contests. McDaniels logged 15.3% usage during the last five games after previously posting a 15.0% clip, suggesting his role hasn't expanded.
Confirmed Lineup: Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, Troy Brown Jr., Jarred Vanderbilt, Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis (foot) — In
D'Angelo Russell (ankle) — Out
Dennis Schroder (ankle) — In
LeBron James (foot) — Injured