NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 11/21

Nov 21st 2023Jay PerssonCooper 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

  • LeBron James (calf) — Available

  • Anthony Davis (adductor, hip) — Available

  • Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) — Available

  • Caris LeVert (knee) — Out

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Toronto Raptors News

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

  • Thaddeus Young (illness) — Out

  • Christian Koloko (respiratory issues) — Injured

Orlando Magic News

Confirmed Lineup: Anthony Black, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Goga Bitadze

  • Markelle Fultz (knee) — Out

  • Wendell Carter Jr. (hand) — Injured

Indiana Pacers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner

  • Andrew Nembhard (back) — Out

Atlanta Hawks News

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

Cleveland Cavaliers News

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.

Philadelphia 76ers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, De'Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid

  • Kelly Oubre Jr. (rib) — Injured

Portland Trail Blazers News

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.

Phoenix Suns News

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.

Utah Jazz News

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.

Los Angeles Lakers News

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.