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
Trae Young (illness) — Out
Jamal Murray (ankle) — In
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) — Available
Chris Paul (illness) — Out
Evan Mobley (knee) — Out
Deandre Ayton (knee) — Out
Malcolm Brogdon (knee) — Out
Jordan Clarkson (thigh) — Available
Mark Williams (back) — Available
Jalen Suggs (ankle) — Out
Duncan Robinson (groin) — In
Daniel Gafford (ankle) — Available
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Confirmed Lineup: Dennis Schroder, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl
Christian Koloko (respiratory) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Terry Rozier, Brandon Miller, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Mark Williams
Mark Williams (back) — Available
Nick Smith Jr. (ankle) — Out
LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Injured
Frank Ntilikina (leg) — Injured
Cody Martin (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley
Joe Harris (shoulder) — Available
Jalen Duren (ankle) — Injured
Monte Morris (quad) — Injured
Coach Williams used 11 players in Wednesday’s loss, and he replaced Ivey with Bogdanovic in the starting lineup. Despite not playing in the first quarter, Ivey led the Pistons’ reserves with 24 minutes. Williams noted after the game that he wants to tighten the rotation. Alec Burks and Marvin Bagley each received a DNP-CD over the last two games, and Duren's upcoming absence does not bode well for the Pistons as their Defensive Rating plummets from 112.7 in Duren's minutes to 121.4 with Duren off the court.
Hayes spot in the starting lineup is likely cemented after Williams said:
“I think it’s helping Cade to not have to shoulder the load. My hope is to have Killian push it, Cade on the wing and Bojan on the wing."
Allowing Hayes to be the primary ballhandler has taken pressure off Cunningham, who still leads the league with 4.4 turnovers per game. Despite committing 13 cumulative turnovers since Hayes rejoined the starting lineup three games prior, seven have come in the 38 minutes he's played without Hayes as opposed to six in 69 minutes next to Hayes.
Confirmed Lineup: Anthony Black, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Goga Bitadze
Jalen Suggs (ankle) — Out
Jonathan Isaac (ankle) — Out
Markelle Fultz (knee) — Injured
Wendell Carter Jr. (hand) — Injured
Suggs was carried to the locker room in the last game and never returned after tweaking his ankle for the second time. He’s missed one game this season, a six-point win over the Bulls. If Suggs is held out against a Pistons team on an 18-game losing streak, Gary Harris projects to start, and Caleb Houstan’s role should expand greatly.
Confirmed Lineup: Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, Clint Capela
Trae Young (illness) — Out
Jalen Johnson (wrist) — Injured
Mouhamed Gueye (back) — Injured
Kobe Bufkin (thumb) — Injured
Young has missed one game this season, sitting for personal reasons. He’s averaged 38.0 minutes per game over the last three games and played at least 37 minutes in the Hawks’ last six games decided by no more than 10 points. Over that span, he’s ranked in the top six in points (31.3), assists (10.2), and three-point attempts (10.3) per game, and he's already pierced the Sixers for 22 points and 13 assists less than a month ago.
Young has been even more prolific over the last five games, coinciding with Johnson’s absence. Young has attempted at least 24 shots in four of those games and is tied for second in the NBA with a 32.9% usage rate. It should be no surprise Young leads the team with 34.6% usage with Johnson off the court for the season.
Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, De'Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid
Confirmed Lineup: Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford
Daniel Gafford (ankle) — Available
Landry Shamet (rib) — Out
Johnny Davis (calf) — Injured
Delon Wright (knee) — Injured
Ryan Rollins (knee) — Injured
The Wizards have yielded the two highest opponent rebound games this season, allowing 67 to the Hornets and 66 to Nets -- both in regulation. The Nets lead the league with 48.0 rebounds per game, and the Wizards have allowed a league-high 49.6 rebounds per game. In the two games Gafford missed, the Wizards allowed 51 and 57 rebounds.
Confirmed Lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton
Dennis Smith Jr. (back) — Out
Lonnie Walker (hamstring) — Injured
Ben Simmons (back) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) — Available
Porzingis projects to rejoin the lineup after missing the past four games. Two of his five highest-scoring games occurred against the Knicks this season, including a season-high 30 points in the season opener. He feasted on the perimeter in those games, and starting centers have averaged 9.3 three-point attempts against the Knicks -- the second-highest mark league-wide.
Conversely, Mitchell Robinson grabbed six rebounds for the Knicks in both games, which comprises two of his four-lowest rebound efforts. He's recorded a 17.1% rebound rate, the seventh-highest among all starters. However, that number drops to 10.7% against the Celtics and 9.8% in games against teams in his division.
Confirmed Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen
Evan Mobley (knee) — Out
Caris LeVert (injury management) — Out
Ty Jerome (ankle) — Injured
Ricky Rubio (personal) — NWT
Confirmed Lineup: Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, Orlando Robinson
Bam Adebayo (hip) — Out
Haywood Highsmith (back) — Out
Duncan Robinson (groin) — In
Tyler Herro (ankle) — Injured
RJ Hampton (knee) — Injured
Dru Smith (knee) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert
Jordan McLaughlin (knee) — Available
Jaden McDaniels (ankle) — Injured
Jaylen Clark (Achilles) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Derrick Rose, Desmond Bane, David Roddy, Jaren Jackson Jr., Bismack Biyombo
Jake LaRavia (eye) — Doubtful
Ja Morant — Suspended
Marcus Smart (foot) — Injured
Luke Kennard (knee) — Injured
Brandon Clarke (Achilles) — Injured
Steven Adams (knee) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney
Chris Paul (illness) — Out
Gary Payton II (calf) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
Confirmed Lineup: Coby White, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic
Alex Caruso (toe) — Available
Torrey Craig (knee) — Available
Zach LaVine (foot) — Injured
Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Victor Wembanyama
Coach Popovich altered the starting lineup in the previous game, replacing Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham with Vassell and Osman. Popovich justified the move by saying, “It's what we wanted to do,” and he was non-committal in reusing the same five starters moving forward.
Vassell was the primary ballhandler, but Osman, who led the team with six assists, and Collins were the playmakers. Sochan was the second-unit power forward in lineups with Tre Jones, and his touches dropped from a team-high 66.6 per game to 37 in Wednesday’s loss.
Confirmed Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun
Jock Landale (illness) — Out
Amen Thompson (ankle) — Injured
Victor Oladipo (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Jamal Murray (ankle) — In
Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
Chris Duarte (knee) — Available
Colby Jones (back) — Out
Alex Len (ankle) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Devin Booker, Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie, Keita Bates-Diop, Jusuf Nurkic
Kevin Durant (ankle) — Out
Grayson Allen (groin) — Out
Bradley Beal (back) — Injured
Damion Lee (knee) — Injured
The Suns already won a game without Durant and Allen, and they’ve gone 2-0 in games sans Durant and Beal. Booker led the Suns with a 39.6% usage rate and 40.5% assist rate in the wins, and Gordon was the only other player to attempt at least 10 shots in both games.
Okogie and Bates-Diop could enter the starting lineup after neither played more than nine minutes in the previous game. They were the choices the last time Durant and Allen missed the same game, and Yuta Watanabe and Chimezie Metu received rotation minutes.
Confirmed Lineup: James Harden, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Daniel Theis (illness) — Out
Mason Plumlee (knee) — Injured
Brandon Boston Jr. (quad) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson, Simone Fontecchio, John Collins, Walker Kessler
Jordan Clarkson (thigh) — Available
Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) — Available
Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) — Out
Confirmed Lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Derrick Jones Jr., Dereck Lively II
Grant Williams (knee) — Out
Josh Green (elbow) — Injured
Maxi Kleber (toe) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle, Toumani Camara, Duop Reath
Malcolm Brogdon (knee) — Out
Deandre Ayton (knee) — Out
Jerami Grant (concussion) — Out
Ish Wainright (knee) — Injured
Robert Williams (knee) — Out for season
The Blazers could be without three starters after losing Brogdon for the second half of Wednesday’s loss. With Brogdon in the starting lineup the last seven games, the Blazers have ranked fifth with a 110.6 Defensive Rating while posting a respectable +0.5 Net Rating. Losing Grant and likely Ayton comes with additional challenges, namely that Reath and Jabari Walker are slated to consume most of the center minutes.