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
Kevin Durant (hamstring) — Out
Luka Doncic (ankle) — Out
LeBron James (ankle) — Available
Anthony Davis (ankle) — Available
Zach LaVine (foot) — In
Nikola Vucevic (adductor) — In
Bruce Brown (knee) — Available
Dereck Lively II (ankle) — Out
Jonathan Kuminga (toe) — Available
Andrew Nembhard (back) — Out
Patrick Williams (ankle) — Out
Alex Caruso (neck) — Out
Caleb Martin (ankle) — Out
Dante Exum (heel) — Out
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Confirmed Lineup: Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Simone Fontecchio, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins
Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis
Al Horford (rest) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela
De'Andre Hunter (knee) — Injured
Mouhamed Gueye (back) — Injured
Vit Krejci (shoulder) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith, Myles Turner
Bruce Brown (knee) — Available
Andrew Nembhard (back) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
Confirmed Lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nic Claxton
Dennis Smith Jr. (back) — Available
Lonnie Walker (hamstring) — Available
Ben Simmons (back) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford
Landry Shamet (hamstring) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen
Evan Mobley (knee) — Injured
Darius Garland (jaw) — Injured
Ty Jerome (ankle) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein
Malachi Flynn (ankle) — Available
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid
Robert Covington (knee) — Out
Furkan Korkmaz (illness) — Out
De'Anthony Melton (back) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Terry Rozier, Cody Martin, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Nick Richards
Mark Williams (back) — Out
Gordon Hayward (calf) — Injured
LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Injured
Frank Ntilikina (leg) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, DeMar DeRozan, Dalen Terry, Andre Drummond
Zach LaVine (foot) — In
Nikola Vucevic (adductor) — In
Alex Caruso (neck) — Out
Patrick Williams (ankle) — Out
Torrey Craig (foot) — Injured
Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season
The Bulls have been without LaVine for 17 consecutive games, while Vucevic has missed the previous five outings, but both could make their return against Charlotte. White has shown real promise sans LaVine, as he's averaged 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists since LaVine went down. Meanwhile, Drummond has seen an increased role in the absence of Vucevic, averaging 14.0 points and 19.4 rebounds per contest. Whoever starts at center for Chicago will have an enticing matchup against the Hornets, who give up the second most points (26.2) and rebounds per game (16.8) to centers.
Confirmed Lineup: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert
Luka Garza (back) — Available
Jaylen Clark (Achilles) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Jae'Sean Tate, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun
Tari Eason (leg) — Out
Dillon Brooks (oblique) — Injured
Victor Oladipo (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: James Harden, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Moussa Diabate (hand) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Trey Murphy III (knee) — Available
Matt Ryan (elbow) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, Duop Reath
Jabari Walker (knee) — Out
Deandre Ayton (knee) — Out
Moses Brown (wrist) — Out
Robert Williams (knee) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Kyrie Irving, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Dwight Powell
Luka Doncic (ankle) — Out
Dereck Lively II (ankle) — Out
Grant Williams (ankle) — Out
Markieff Morris (illness) — Out
Dante Exum (heel) — Out
Richaun Holmes (personal) — Out
Maxi Kleber (toe) — Injured
Lively II suffered his injury in the most recent game, and it was bad enough to force an early exit. However, coach Kidd mentioned after that contest that the ankle sprain was "mild," which ultimately contributed to Lively II having a chance to play in this upcoming outing. If he is sidelined, Dwight Powell could draw a spot start at center. Dallas has won 19 of 29 games with Lively II available, but just one of 6 when he's been sidelined.
Confirmed Lineup: Anthony Black, Jalen Suggs, Chuma Okeke, Paolo Banchero, Moe Wagner
Wendell Carter Jr. (knee) — Out
Goga Bitadze (illness) — Out
Anthony Black (illness) — In
Franz Wagner (ankle) — Out
Markelle Fultz (knee) — Out
Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) — Out
Joe Ingles (ankle) — Out
Gary Harris (calf) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Reggie Jackson (calf) — Available
Julian Strawther (knee) — Out
Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Bam Adebayo
Caleb Martin (ankle) — Out
Jimmy Butler (toe) — Out
Haywood Highsmith (concussion) — Out
Dru Smith (knee) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Chimezie Metu, Jusuf Nurkic
Kevin Durant (hamstring) — Out
Eric Gordon (knee) — Out
Nassir Little (knee) — Out
Damion Lee (knee) — Injured
Durant has missed the last two games but managed to partially practice on Thursday. The Suns split those outings sans Durant, winning and losing one contest. They'll match up against the Heat, who will be without their best player in Butler. Miami has won six of their 10 outings this season in which Butler has been unavailable. If Durant is sidelined, Bradley Beal should garner more usage, as Beal has seen a +4.3% usage rate increase whenever he plays and Durant sits.
Confirmed Lineup: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Livers, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jalen Duren
Alec Burks (hamstring) — Available
Isaiah Stewart (toe) — Injured
Monte Morris (quad) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney
Jonathan Kuminga (toe) — Available
Draymond Green (suspension) — Out
Gary Payton II (hamstring) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Bismack Biyombo
Vince Williams (foot) — Out
Derrick Rose (hamstring) — Injured
Brandon Clarke (Achilles) — Injured
Steven Adams (knee) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
LeBron James (ankle) — Available
Anthony Davis (ankle) — Available
D'Angelo Russell (tailbone) — Out
Rui Hachimura (calf) — Out
Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured
After the previous outing, a report was published by Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic that cited anonymous sources who spoke about the state of the Lakers' locker room. These sources noted a "deepening disconnect" between coach Ham and his players. "... the disjointedness between the coach and team has stemmed from the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments recently from Ham, leading to a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster," sources say. Ham recently stated that a specific lineup would be in place "for the foreseeable future," but that was quickly altered as the unit included Hachimura, who got injured in the subsequent game.
Confirmed Lineup: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl
Gary Trent Jr. (quad) — Out
Otto Porter Jr. (knee) — Out
Christian Koloko (respiratory) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: De'Aaron Fox, Chris Duarte, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis