NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 2/1

Feb 1st 2024

J.J. Calle

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 (ankle) — Out

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles, hip) — Out

  • Tyrese Haliburton (injury management) — Available

  • Tyrese Maxey (ankle) — Available

  • Evan Mobley (injury management) — Out

  • OG Anunoby (elbow) — Out

  • Nicolas Batum (hamstring) — Out

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Los Angeles Lakers News

Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes

  • LeBron James (ankle) — Out

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles, hip) — Out

  • Cam Reddish (ankle) — Injured

  • Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured

Boston Celtics News

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

  • Al Horford (neck) — Not on injury report

  • Luke Kornet (hamstring) — Out

Indiana Pacers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

  • Tyrese Haliburton (injury management) — Available

  • Bennedict Mathurin (toe) — Out

  • Jalen Smith (back) — Available

  • TJ McConnell (illness) — Available

During a radio segment on Wednesday, Haliburton said:

“[I’ll] be ready to go against the Knicks tomorrow. My goal is to play in the back-to-back with the Kings the next game. I think that if I can show that I can get through three games in four days, that that’s encouraging to our medical staff and help the minutes restriction move along.”

“We had a conversation [with the training staff that] it literally didn’t matter how I performed yesterday, these are my minutes and there was nothing I could do to stop that.”

Haliburton was limited to 22 minutes on Tuesday, and he confirmed he'll have a restriction for a while. He added that he felt good the day after the game.

To be eligible for regular season awards, Haliburton can miss four more games the rest of the season after it was deemed his participation in the In-Season Tournament Championship game will count toward his eligibility. Within the parameters, Haliburton must be on the floor at least 20 minutes when he does play, and the Pacers could keep him at that level to give him a chance to be voted onto an All-NBA team, which would add about $43 million to his next contract.

New York Knicks News

Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa, Isaiah Hartenstein

  • OG Anunoby (elbow) — Out

  • Quentin Grimes (knee) — Out

  • Evan Fournier (personal) — Not on injury report

  • Julius Randle (shoulder) — Injured

  • Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — Injured

Coach Thibodeau didn’t pull his starters in the previous game until 29.8 seconds remaining with the Knicks leading by 16. They led by no less than 13 points over the final 17 minutes, and despite the comfortable lead, four of the five starters played at least 38 minutes. Hartenstein was on a minute limitation but played 29 minutes in his third game back after missing time with an Achilles ailment.

Knicks starters have averaged 33.0 minutes per game in January, and that ranks fourth in the league over that span as Thibodeau has routinely left starters on the court despite the outcome already determined. If Anunoby and Grimes are sidelined, DiVincenzo, Hart, and Achiuwa should approach 40 minutes again because the alternatives on the wing are Fournier, Jacob Toppin, and Charlie Brown Jr.

Cleveland Cavaliers News

Confirmed Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen

  • Evan Mobley (injury management) — Out

  • Ty Jerome (ankle) — Injured

  • Tristan Thompson — Suspended

Memphis Grizzlies News

Confirmed Lineup: Scotty Pippen Jr., John Konchar, Vince Williams, Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr.

  • Vince Williams (knee) — Not on injury report

  • Santi Aldama (tailbone) — Available

  • John Konchar (ankle) — Available

  • Luke Kennard (knee) — Out

  • Derrick Rose (hamstring) — Out

  • Ziaire Williams (hand) — Out

  • Desmond Bane (ankle) — Injured

  • Jake LaRavia (ankle) — Injured

  • Marcus Smart (finger) — Injured

  • Brandon Clarke (Achilles) — Injured

  • Ja Morant (shoulder) — Out for season

  • Steven Adams (knee) — Out for season

The Grizzlies signed Tosan Evbuomwan and Trey Jemison to 10-day contracts, and the exclusion of Vince Williams from the injury report should increase the available player pool from eight last game to at least 11. However, the Grizzlies are playing on the front end of a back-to-back, and that could mean all 11 get minutes.

A recent rotation development has been the ascension of Pippen Jr. ahead of Jacob Gilyard. Pippen Jr. (30.0%) and Gilyard (37.1%) are the only Grizzlies with an assist rate higher than 20.0% when Morant, Bane, Rose, Kennard, Smart, and Jaylen Nowell have been off the court. Despite the lack of suitable playmaking the previous game, Gilyard played a team-low 16 minutes and was booted from the second-half rotation the preceding game.

Philadelphia 76ers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, Danuel House, Tobias Harris, Paul Reed

  • Tyrese Maxey (ankle) — Available

  • Nicolas Batum (hamstring) — Out

  • Marcus Morris (foot) — Out

  • Joel Embiid (knee) — Out

  • Kenneth Lofton Jr. (personal) — Out

  • De'Anthony Melton (back) — Injured

  • Robert Covington (knee) — Injured

The Sixers have gone 3-9 in games without Embiid, and Reed averaged a team-high 6.6 rebounds in those contests. When Embiid has been off the court, the Sixers have maintained a +3.5 Net Rating, but much of that has been against second units. Maxey will be the offensive engine if he's available. If not, Oubre and Harris will carry that mantle.

Embiid will receive additional evaluation on Thursday before the Sixers release an official update on his knee injury.

Utah Jazz News

Confirmed Lineup: Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Simone Fontecchio, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins