NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 10/27

Oct 27th 2023

Cooper BoniJohn Raudebaugh

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

  • Darius Garland (hamstring) — Out

  • Anfernee Simons (thumb) — Out

  • Cam Johnson (calf) — Out

Recent NBA News

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Detroit Pistons News

Confirmed Lineup: Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

  • Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) — Injured

  • Monte Morris (quad) — Injured

  • Isaiah Livers (ankle) — Injured

Charlotte Hornets News

Confirmed Lineup: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington, Mark Williams

  • Bryce McGowens (ankle) — Available

  • Miles Bridges (suspension) — Out

  • Frank Ntilikina (leg) — Injured

  • James Bouknight (knee) — Injured

  • Cody Martin (knee) — Injured

After being hampered by ankle issues for much of last season, Ball was said to begin the year on a minutes limit by coach Clifford. He played 31 minutes in the opening game which is only 4.2 minutes down from his average last year. Ball's playing time will be something to monitor moving forward.

Denver Nuggets News

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

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

In three games against Memphis last season, Jokic averaged 15.3 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. He'll have an opportunity to build on that success as the Grizzlies are dealing with injuries in the frontcourt.

Memphis Grizzlies News

Confirmed Lineup: Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman

  • Santi Aldama (ankle) — Out

  • Ja Morant (suspension) — Out

  • Luke Kennard (concussion) — Out

  • Brandon Clarke (Achilles) — Injured

  • Steven Adams (knee) — Out for season

As injuries have piled up early, the Grizzlies' depth pieces are getting more playing time than expected to begin the season. David Roddy and Jake LaRavia combined to play 43 minutes last game and figure to get even more action in this contest.

New York Knicks News

Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson

After losing a close game their last time out, the Knicks will look to bounce back against a Hawks team they split the season series with last year. Brunson, Randle, and Barrett each posted usage rates of 28% or higher in the opener, but the real spark came from Immanuel Quickley who scored 24 points in 28 minutes.

Atlanta Hawks News

Confirmed Lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, Clint Capela

  • Wesley Matthews (calf) — Injured

While Bey started in the last contest, he ended up playing the same amount of minutes (29) as Jalen Johnson, who some deemed a candidate to begin the season in the starting lineup. Young will look to redeem his opening game struggles against a Knicks team that he shot 19.7% from deep against last year.

Miami Heat News

Confirmed Lineup: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Bam Adebayo

  • Josh Richardson (foot) — Out

  • Duncan Robinson (foot) — Available

  • Caleb Martin (knee) — Out

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. (groin) — Available

  • Haywood Highsmith (knee) — Injured

Lowry started at the point in the first game of the season but recorded a team-low usage rate (1.3%) in 32 minutes. Meanwhile, Tyler Herro posted a team-high 29.5% usage rate.

Boston Celtics News

Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis

The Celtics utilized a nine-man rotation to begin the season with Al Horford coming off the bench. Coach Mazzulla mentioned in training camp that the starting unit could differ depending on the matchup. In last season's Eastern Conference Finals, Horford averaged 6.7 points per game and shot 27.6% from three-point range against the Heat.

Oklahoma City Thunder News

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

  • Kenrich Williams (back) — Out

  • Jaylin Williams (hamstring) — Injured

Cason Wallace could be a bigger part of the rotation than some expected after playing 19 minutes in his first career game. Meanwhile, Vasilije Micic did not enter the game despite playing at least 15 minutes in each of the Thunder's preseason contests.

Cleveland Cavaliers News

Confirmed Lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley

  • Darius Garland (hamstring) — Out

  • Jarrett Allen (ankle) — Out

  • Dean Wade (illness) — In

  • Ricky Rubio (personal) — NWT

With Allen sidelined and Garland on a minutes limit last game, Mitchell scored a team-high 27 points on 21 shot attempts after missing both contests against the Thunder last season. If Garland can't play, Mitchell figures to garner even more usage.

Toronto Raptors News

Confirmed Lineup: Dennis Schröder, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl

  • Christian Koloko (respiratory issues) — Out

Even with Nick Nurse out of the picture, it appears that Barnes is going to log heavy playing time this season after his 37-minute outing in the opener. It was unclear in training camp who would start at the point, but Schröder cleared any confusion after starting and playing 33 minutes in the win.

Chicago Bulls News

Confirmed Lineup: Coby White, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic

  • Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season

White got the nod at point guard to begin the season but didn't have a particularly efficient game as he shot 28.6% from the field. The teammates he was thought to be competing with (Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter) combined for 11 points and played 25.2 total minutes off the bench.

Houston Rockets News

Confirmed Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

  • Jock Landale (concussion) — Out

  • Nate Hinton (ankle) — Out

  • Tari Eason (leg) — Injured

  • Victor Oladipo (knee) — Injured

San Antonio Spurs News

Confirmed Lineup: Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Victor Wembanyama, Zach Collins

  • Devonte' Graham (suspension) — Out

Brooklyn Nets News

Confirmed Lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons

  • Nic Claxton (ankle) — Out

  • Cam Johnson (calf) — Out

  • Dariq Whitehead (foot) — Injured

Dallas Mavericks News

Confirmed Lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II

Maxi Kleber started the last contest but wound up playing fewer minutes than rookie Dereck Lively II who started all four preseason games. The Mavs could be trying to ease Lively II into things considering Kleber played off the bench in 32 of his 37 appearances last season.

Los Angeles Clippers News

Confirmed Lineup: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Robert Covington, Ivica Zubac

  • Terance Mann (ankle) — Out

  • Bones Hyland (ankle) — In

  • Brandon Boston Jr. (quad) — Injured

Utah Jazz News

Confirmed Lineup: Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Walker Kessler

After recording a couple of 20+ point games in the preseason, Horton-Tucker struggled a bit in the opening contest. He lost some playing time to rookie Keyonte George who played 19 minutes and was more efficient than Horton-Tucker on the offensive end. The guard rotations will be worth monitoring in the early stages of the season.

Orlando Magic News

Confirmed Lineup: Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

  • Kevon Harris (knee) — Out

Portland Trail Blazers News

Confirmed Lineup: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton

  • Anfernee Simons (thumb) — Out

  • Ish Wainright (calf) — Out

Ayton and Robert Williams were on the floor together at points last game as the team opted to utilize a double-big lineup. Ayton had a tough outing as he scored four points in 23 minutes and consistently dealt with foul trouble. To begin the season, it looks like Toumani Camara is a part of the rotation while Jabari Walker is on the outside looking in.

Golden State Warriors News

Confirmed Lineup: Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney

  • Draymond Green (ankle) — Out

Paul's nine assists were a team-high in the opener. He will have another excellent opportunity to get his new teammates involved against a Kings team he averaged 16.0 assists per game against in three contests last season. Green is expected to play at some point during the three-game road trip.

Sacramento Kings News

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

  • Trey Lyles (calf) — Out

The Kings scored 72 first-half points in the opener, continuing where they left off last season when they averaged a league-high 60.6 first-half points per game. Barnes will look to maintain his offensive efficiency after scoring 33 points on 68.7% from the field in his first appearance of the season.