NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 1/27

Jan 27th 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 (ankle) — Available

  • Nikola Jokic (eye) — Available

  • Joel Embiid (knee) — Out

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) — Available

  • LeBron James (ankle) — Available

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles) — Available

  • Victor Wembanyama — Not on injury report

  • Zion Williamson (foot) — Available

  • Kyrie Irving (thumb) — Out

  • LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Out

  • Paul George (groin) — In

  • Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) — Out

  • Tyrese Maxey (ankle) — Out

  • Jamal Murray (shin) — Available

  • Cade Cunningham (knee) — Available

  • Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle) — Out

  • Aaron Gordon (shoulder) — Available

  • Tobias Harris (illness) — Out

  • Khris Middleton (injury management) — Out

  • Mike Conley (hamstring) — Out

  • Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles) — Available

  • Derrick Jones Jr. (wrist) — Out

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Washington Wizards News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford

  • Isaiah Livers (hip) — Out

Detroit Pistons News

Confirmed Lineup: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

  • Cade Cunningham (knee) — Available

Cunningham has missed the previous eight outings, and Detroit has lost six of those games. If he does ultimately play, he'll have an inviting matchup against Washington, who has given up the second-most assists per game (10.03) to opposing point guards league-wide. The Wizards have posted a -9.4 Net Rating in January, the third-worst of any team, and they lost their most recent game against the Pistons.

Miami Heat News

Confirmed Lineup: Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, Bam Adebayo

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. (groin) — Available

  • Kevin Love (illness) — Not on injury report

  • Dru Smith (knee) — Out for season

New York Knicks News

Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein

  • Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles) — Available

  • Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — Injured

Philadelphia 76ers News

Confirmed Lineup: Patrick Beverley, Kelly Oubre, Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Paul Reed

  • Joel Embiid (knee) — Out

  • Tyrese Maxey (ankle) — Out

  • Tobias Harris (illness) — Out

  • Marcus Morris (foot) — In

  • Mo Bamba (knee) — Out

  • Kenneth Lofton Jr. (shoulder) — Out

  • De'Anthony Melton (back) — Injured

  • Robert Covington (knee) — Injured

In the last contest between Philadelphia and Denver, the 76ers scored 126 points in a win. Embiid scored a game-high 41 points in that outing, while Jokic posted 25 points and 19 rebounds. Barring downgrades in status, the two bigs will square off again in what has become the most intriguing matchup between any two players league-wide. Jokic could have another big night on the boards as Philadelphia's 46.3% rebound percentage this month is the second-worst of any team.

Denver Nuggets News

Confirmed Lineup: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic

  • Nikola Jokic (eye) — Available

  • Jamal Murray (shin) — Available

  • Aaron Gordon (shoulder) — Available

  • Reggie Jackson (toe) — Available

  • Julian Strawther (knee) — Injured

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

Houston Rockets News

Confirmed Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, Alperen Sengun

  • Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle) — Out

  • Reggie Bullock (back) — Available

  • Tari Eason (leg) — Injured

  • Victor Oladipo (knee) — Injured

Brooklyn Nets News

Confirmed Lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nic Claxton

  • Ben Simmons (back) — Out

  • Cam Johnson (personal) — Out

  • Dariq Whitehead (foot) — Injured

  • Day'Ron Sharpe (knee) — Injured

Los Angeles Clippers News

Confirmed Lineup: James Harden, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Mason Plumlee

  • Paul George (groin) — In

  • Ivica Zubac (calf) — Injured

  • Moussa Diabate (hand) — Injured

Boston Celtics News

Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford

  • Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) — Out

Porzingis sprained his ankle in the previous outing and exited the game early. Despite not returning to the contest, he mentioned that he could've if needed. It appears that Horford will start against the Clippers, who have been great against opposing centers this season, allowing the fourth-fewest points per game (20.8) to players at that position. The Celtics and the Clippers are two of the best teams in the league, as both rank top-four in Net Rating. Boston is in the midst of a three-game winning streak.

Utah Jazz News

Confirmed Lineup: Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Simone Fontecchio, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins

Charlotte Hornets News

Confirmed Lineup: Ish Smith, Brandon Miller, Cody Martin, Miles Bridges, Nick Richards

  • LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Out

  • Kyle Lowry (acquired) — Out

  • Gordon Hayward (calf) — Injured

  • Mark Williams (back) — Injured

New Orleans Pelicans News

Confirmed Lineup: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas

  • Zion Williamson (foot) — Available

  • Matt Ryan (elbow) — Injured

In the last game, Williamson was sidelined after being a late addition to the injury report. The Pelicans faced the Thunder and lost by 24 while scoring just 83 points. It won't get any easier for New Orleans if Williamson sits again, as they're set to face the Bucks, who have the third-best Offensive Rating (120.1) league-wide. Both the Pelicans and the Bucks are on the second leg of a back-to-back set after playing last night.

Milwaukee Bucks News

Confirmed Lineup: Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) — Available

  • Khris Middleton (injury management) — Out

Minnesota Timberwolves News

Confirmed Lineup: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert

  • Mike Conley (hamstring) — Out

  • Jaylen Clark (Achilles) — Injured

San Antonio Spurs News

Confirmed Lineup: Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembanyama

  • Victor Wembanyama — Not on injury report

  • Zach Collins (ankle) — Out

  • Charles Bassey (knee) — Out for season

Los Angeles Lakers News

Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, Anthony Davis

  • LeBron James (ankle) — Available

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles) — Available

  • Cam Reddish (ankle) — Injured

  • Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured

Golden State Warriors News

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

  • Chris Paul (hand) — Injured

  • Gary Payton II (hamstring) — Injured

  • Moses Moody (calf) — Injured

Sacramento Kings News

Confirmed Lineup: De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

  • Sasha Vezenkov (ankle) — Out

Dallas Mavericks News

Confirmed Lineup: Luka Doncic, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II

  • Luke Doncic (ankle) — Available

  • Kyrie Irving (thumb) — Out

  • Derrick Jones Jr. (wrist) — Out

  • Maxi Kleber (toe) — Available

  • Dante Exum (knee) — Out

  • Dwight Powell (eye) — Out