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
LeBron James (calf) — Available
Anthony Davis (adductor, hip) — Available
Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) — Available
Caris LeVert (knee) — Out
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Confirmed Lineup: Dennis Schroder, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl
Thaddeus Young (illness) — Out
Christian Koloko (respiratory issues) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Anthony Black, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Goga Bitadze
Markelle Fultz (knee) — Out
Wendell Carter Jr. (hand) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner
Andrew Nembhard (back) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela
AJ Griffin (illness) — Out
Mouhamed Gueye (back) — Injured
Kobe Bufkin (thumb) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Darius Garland, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) — Out
Caris LeVert (knee) — Out
Ty Jerome (ankle) — Out
Isaac Okoro (injury management) — Injured
Ricky Rubio (personal) — NWT
With Mitchell set to miss his third consecutive game, Garland stands to maintain the increased usage he had over the previous two outings. His 34.2% usage rate in those games was significantly higher than the 25.8% rate he posted in six games with Mitchell this season. He averaged 27.0 points per game on 57.1% from the field and 44.4% from deep over the last two contests.
Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, De'Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid
Kelly Oubre Jr. (rib) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton
Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) — Available
Ish Wainright (knee) — Injured
Scoot Henderson (ankle) — Injured
Anfernee Simons (thumb) — Injured
Robert Williams (knee) — Out for season
Brogdon has a team-high 28.1% usage rate. Over the previous five games without him, the Blazers have posted a league-worst 100.6 Offensive Rating. Regardless of his final status, Portland should have a chance to succeed offensively against a Suns team with the third-worst Defensive Rating (118.7) when playing at home.
Confirmed Lineup: Devin Booker, Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkic
Yuta Watanabe (quad) — Out
Bradley Beal (back) — Injured
Damion Lee (knee) — Injured
Since Booker's latest return, his playing time has progressively increased. After receiving 26 minutes in his first game back, he played 32 and 40 minutes in the last two outings. His 19.3 field goal attempts per game over that span trailed only Durant's 21.3 attempts per game. With Beal remaining out, the offense is again set to run through Booker and Durant, who have accounted for 63.0 points per game over the last three contests.
Confirmed Lineup: Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson, Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins
Walker Kessler (elbow) — Injured
With Kessler expected to miss at least another week, the Jazz must find ways to adjust defensively. Without him in the last five outings, their opponents scored 125.0 points per game, the third-most of any team league-wide. Even when Kessler was available, Utah gave up 120.1 points per contest, but they have less room for error when he sits. Their current primary frontcourt players (Markkanen, Collins, and Kelly Olynyk) are historically more offense-focused.
Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
LeBron James (calf) — Available
Anthony Davis (adductor, hip) — Available
Jalen Hood-Schifino (knee) — Available
Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured
Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) — Injured
Davis has played six games since his initial injury, averaging 19.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game on 25.9% usage. In the seven games before, he posted 23.9 points and 12.0 rebounds per game on 24.4% usage. He has made it clear that he intends to play through his ailments, and after the victory on Sunday, coach Ham insisted that Davis's playing will not worsen said ailments. “... as I always say, and we wholeheartedly believe in, just knowing 100% that we’re not putting him in a position to do further damage or expose him to a more serious injury," said Ham.