NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 11/4

Nov 4th 2023Cooper 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

  • Devin Booker (ankle) — Out

  • Brandon Ingram (knee) — In

  • Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) — In

  • Nikola Jokic (back) — Available

  • Jamal Murray (quad) — Available

  • DeMar DeRozan (rest) — In

  • Zach LaVine (back) — In

  • Ben Simmons (injury management) — Out

  • Derrick White (personal) — Out

  • Markelle Fultz (knee) — Out

  • Taurean Prince (knee) — Out

  • Nic Claxton (ankle) — Out

Recent NBA News

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Phoenix Suns News

Confirmed Lineup: Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Keita Bates-Diop, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkic

  • Devin Booker (ankle) — Out

  • Bradley Beal (back) — Out

  • Damion Lee (knee) — Injured

Booker's ankle held up in the last game as he played 35 minutes and finished with a team-high 31 points. He's missed three of five contests but has averaged 36.0 minutes per game, which would be his career high, over two appearances. Booker, Beal, and Durant have yet to participate in a game together, and Beal remains without a timeline for his return.

Philadelphia 76ers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, De'Anthony Melton, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid

  • Nicolas Batum (personal) — Out

With Batum away from the team and Marcus Morris still in a ramp-up process, much of the 76ers rotation will remain the same as it's been. Robert Covington and KJ Martin got minutes last game, but they came after the contest had already been decided. Regarding the new additions' playing time, Nurse said he "still has to think about that." "We gotta work them in. It isn't like the schedule's going to ease up ... so we gotta get them in there sometime," Nurse stated.

Charlotte Hornets News

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

  • Miles Bridges (suspension) — Out

  • Frank Ntilikina (leg) — Injured

  • James Bouknight (knee) — Injured

  • Cody Martin (knee) — Injured

Indiana Pacers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner

  • Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) — In

  • Jalen Smith (knee) — Available

  • Jarace Walker (illness) — Out

Los Angeles Lakers News

Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, LeBron James, Anthony Davis

  • Taurean Prince (knee) — Out

  • Rui Hachimura (concussion) — Out

  • Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured

  • Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) — Injured

  • Jalen Hood-Schifino (knee) — Injured

James and Davis played 42 and 48 respective minutes in a win last game. After James was on the court for 29 minutes in the season opener, coach Ham mentioned that the cautious approach would continue to be a part of the plan. James has played 37.3 minutes per contest in the four games since that comment. It's worth monitoring, however, that his two highest-minute outings have been overtime games.

Orlando Magic News

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

  • Markelle Fultz (knee) — Out

  • Gary Harris (groin) — Out

  • Wendell Carter Jr. (hand) — Injured

Last season, the Magic had a 22.7% win percentage when Fultz didn't play and a 48.3% win percentage when he was available. However, Fultz is averaging 3.0 fewer points and 1.4 fewer assists than he did last year, and Orlando won the lone game that he missed. An explanation for Fultz's statistical decrease can be found when looking at Franz Wagner's numbers, as he's posted a career-high 25.6% usage rate through the first five games. Meanwhile, Fultz's usage rate is down to 18.5%, which would be his career low.

Atlanta Hawks News

Confirmed Lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela

  • Wesley Matthews (calf) — Injured

  • Kobe Bufkin (thumb) — Injured

New Orleans Pelicans News

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

  • Brandon Ingram (knee) — In

  • Jose Alvarado (ankle) — Injured

  • Trey Murphy (knee) — Injured

  • Naji Marshall (knee) — Injured

The Pelicans have scored 103.5 points per game with Ingram available, compared to the 112.3 points they've averaged without him. Their field goal percentage (46.5%) has been higher with Ingram on the floor, but the difference has been free throw volume. New Orleans takes 19.0 free throw attempts per game when he's in the lineup but 30.0 per game when he sits. Meanwhile, teams are averaging the eighth-fewest attempts from the line (20.6) against Atlanta.

Boston Celtics News

Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis

  • Derrick White (personal) — Out

  • Neemias Queta (foot) — Out

The Celtics rank top-five in field goal (50.7%) and three-point percentage (40.4%), and they've scored more points per game (127.0) than any team. They'll match up against the Nets, whose opponents average 114.4 points per contest and convert 47.1% of their field goal attempts. Both of those marks rank in the bottom half of the league.

Brooklyn Nets News

Confirmed Lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Royce O'Neale, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith

  • Ben Simmons (injury management) — Out

  • Nic Claxton (ankle) — Out

  • Lonnie Walker (knee) — Available

  • Cam Johnson (calf) — Injured

Before the Nets played the first leg of a back-to-back on Friday, coach Vaughn mentioned that Claxton didn't participate in shootaround and that he'd "probably not" be available for Saturday's contest. If he can't suit up, his rebounding and rim protection will be missed against a Celtics team that scores the tenth-most second-chance points per game (14.8) and whose 49.5 points in the paint per game rank in the top half of the league. Boston also leads the league in rebounding with 52.3 boards per contest.

Sacramento Kings News

Confirmed Lineup: Davion Mitchell, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

  • De'Aaron Fox (ankle) — Out

  • Trey Lyles (calf) — Out

Houston Rockets News

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

  • Amen Thompson (ankle) — Injured

  • Tari Eason (leg) — Injured

  • Victor Oladipo (knee) — Injured

Utah Jazz News

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

Minnesota Timberwolves News

Confirmed Lineup: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert

  • Jaylen Clark (Achilles) — Injured

Chicago Bulls News

Confirmed Lineup: Coby White, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Torrey Craig, Nikola Vucevic

  • DeMar DeRozan (rest) — In

  • Zach LaVine (back) — In

  • Alex Caruso (shoulder) — Available

  • Patrick Williams (finger) — Available

  • Ayo Dosunmu (illness) — Out

  • Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season

After Patrick Williams started the first five games, he was replaced by Craig in the last game. While he only scored three points on four shot attempts, he combined for 10 rebounds and assists. Regarding Williams' performance off the bench, coach Donovan mentioned that he thinks Williams can "still get to the glass and rebound more" but thought he played well. It's unclear who will start at power forward against the Nuggets, whose opponents are averaging the ninth-fewest rebounds per game (42.2).

Denver Nuggets News

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

  • Nikola Jokic (back) — Available

  • Jamal Murray (quad) — Available

  • Christian Braun (shin) — Available

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured