NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 2/28

Feb 28th 2024

Cooper 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 (ankle) — In

  • Luka Doncic (nose) — In

  • Zion Williamson (foot) — In

  • Anthony Edwards (ankle) — In

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles) — Available

  • Karl-Anthony Towns (personal) — Not on injury report

  • Brandon Ingram (ankle) — In

  • De'Aaron Fox (knee) — Out

  • Rudy Gobert (ankle) — In

  • CJ McCollum (ankle) — In

  • Jakob Poeltl (ankle) — In

  • Dereck Lively II (nose) — Available

  • Ivica Zubac (illness) — Out

  • Aaron Nesmith (ankle) — Out

  • Alex Caruso (hamstring) — Out

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

New Orleans Pelicans News

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

  • Zion Williamson (foot) — In

  • Brandon Ingram (ankle) — In

  • CJ McCollum (ankle) — In

  • Trey Murphy III (calf) — Available

  • Jose Alvarado — Suspended

  • Dyson Daniels (knee) — Injured

McCollum missed the previous two games, and the Pelicans went 1-1. This month, New Orleans has gone 8-3 while posting the seventh-best Net Rating (+7.8) of any team. They'll have a tough matchup against the Pacers, who they'll face for the first time this season. The outing sets up nicely for Williamson, as Indiana gives up a league-high 27.2 points per contest to power forwards. Williamson is averaging 25.2 points per game over the last five outings.

Indiana Pacers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

  • Aaron Nesmith (ankle) — Out

  • Doug McDermott (calf) — Out

Dallas Mavericks News

Confirmed Lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II

  • Luka Doncic (nose) — In

  • Dereck Lively II (nose) — Available

  • Maxi Kleber (toe, nose) — Out

  • Dante Exum (knee) — Available

Toronto Raptors News

Confirmed Lineup: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

  • Jakob Poeltl (ankle) — In

  • Chris Boucher (illness) — Out

Memphis Grizzlies News

Confirmed Lineup: Jordan Goodwin, Vince Williams, Ziaire Williams, Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr.

  • John Konchar (thumb) — Out

  • Luke Kennard (illness) — Out

  • Desmond Bane (ankle) — Injured

  • Marcus Smart (finger) — Injured

  • Scotty Pippen Jr. (back) — Injured

  • Brandon Clarke (Achilles) — Injured

  • Ja Morant (shoulder) — Out for season

Minnesota Timberwolves News

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

  • Anthony Edwards (ankle) — In

  • Rudy Gobert (ankle) — In

  • Karl-Anthony Towns (personal) — Not on injury report

  • Kyle Anderson (hamstring) — Out

  • Jaylen Clark (Achilles) — Injured

The Timberwolves were without Towns for the first leg of their back-to-back set, and they also dealt with an in-game injury scare as Edwards hurt his ankle toward the end of the second quarter. However, after going to the locker room, Edwards returned to start the second half. Minnesota will now face the Grizzlies, who have lost nine of 11 games in February. This month, the Timberwolves have the league's best Defensive Rating (104.0), while the Grizzlies have the third-worst Offensive Rating (104.9).

Cleveland Cavaliers News

Confirmed Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

  • Ty Jerome (ankle) — Injured

  • Tristan Thompson — Suspended

Chicago Bulls News

Confirmed Lineup: Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond

  • Alex Caruso (hamstring) — Out

  • Torrey Craig (knee) — Injured

  • Zach LaVine (foot) — Out for season

  • Patrick Williams (foot) — Out for season

  • Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season

Sacramento Kings News

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

  • De'Aaron Fox (knee) — Out

  • Sasha Vezenkov (ankle) — Injured

Fox collided with Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the first quarter of the previous outing and played with a noticeable limp for much of the game. However, he didn't miss any time, receiving 39 minutes in the loss. His status will be critical against the Nuggets, who have won three straight. The Kings will need to contain Nikola Jokic, and they've done a good job against centers this season, allowing the third-fewest points per game (20.3) to the position group. Sacramento has beaten Denver in all three meetings during the 2023-2024 campaign.

Denver Nuggets News

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

  • Hunter Tyson (finger) — Available

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

Los Angeles Lakers News

Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Anthony Davis

  • LeBron James (ankle) — In

  • Anthony Davis (Achilles) — Available

  • Cam Reddish (ankle) — Available

  • Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) — Injured

  • Gabe Vincent (knee) — Injured

  • Christian Wood (knee) — Injured

Los Angeles Clippers News

Confirmed Lineup: James Harden, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, Kawhi Leonard, Daniel Theis

  • Paul George (knee) — Out

  • Ivica Zubac (illness) — Out

  • Norman Powell (ankle) — In