NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 3/15

Mar 15th 2024Cooper 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

  • James Harden (shoulder) — Out

  • Cade Cunningham (injury management) — In

  • Bam Adebayo (back) — In

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic (illness) — Out

  • Gary Trent Jr. (groin) — Available

  • Jalen Johnson (ankle) — Available

  • Taylor Hendricks (toe) — Available

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Phoenix Suns News

Confirmed Lineup: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkic

  • Eric Gordon (knee) — Available

  • Josh Okogie (abdomen) — Out

  • Damion Lee (knee) — Injured

Charlotte Hornets News

Confirmed Lineup: Vasilije Micic, Tre Mann, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Nick Richards

  • Bryce McGowens (knee) — Out

  • LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Injured

  • Mark Williams (back) — Injured

  • Cody Martin (ankle) — Injured

  • Seth Curry (ankle) — Injured

Miami Heat News

Confirmed Lineup: Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, Bam Adebayo

  • Bam Adebayo (back) — In

  • Tyler Herro (foot) — Injured

  • Kevin Love (heel) — Injured

  • Josh Richardson (shoulder) — Out for season

Neither Herro nor Love is traveling with the Heat during their four-game road trip. Herro has missed nine consecutive outings, and Miami has gone 4-5. They'll now get a matchup against the Pistons, who have surprisingly won three of their last four outings, albeit against the Nets, Hornets, and Raptors. In the previous meeting between Miami and Detroit, the Heat won by eight points in a contest in which they were without Herro.

Detroit Pistons News

Confirmed Lineup: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Simone Fontecchio, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

  • Cade Cunningham (injury management) — In

  • Ausar Thompson (illness) — Out

  • Quentin Grimes (knee) — Out

Orlando Magic News

Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

Toronto Raptors News

Confirmed Lineup: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk

  • Gary Trent Jr. (groin) — Available

  • RJ Barrett (personal) — Out

  • DJ Carton (ankle) — Out

  • Chris Boucher (knee) — Injured

  • Scottie Barnes (hand) — Injured

  • Jakob Poeltl (finger) — Injured

The Raptors struggled offensively without Barrett and Trent Jr. in the most recent contest and lost to the Pistons. Quickley posted a team-high 27.0% usage rate and will likely see increased usage again versus the Magic. He gets a good matchup as Orlando has given up the fourth-most points per game (26.1) league-wide to point guards. While Toronto has lost five games in a row, Orlando has won seven of its last 10 outings.

Los Angeles Clippers News

Confirmed Lineup: Bones Hyland, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac

  • James Harden (shoulder) — Out

  • Russell Westbrook (hand) — Injured

After back spasms forced him to exit a recent game early, Leonard returned for the first leg of a back-to-back set on Thursday, scoring 27 points in 34 minutes. He and George combined for 55 points in the win against Chicago. Now, they'll face the Pelicans, whose 108.3 Defensive Rating since the start of February has been the league's second-best. The Clippers' 117.7 Offensive Rating during that time has ranked seventh league-wide, making this one of the better matchups of the slate.

New Orleans Pelicans News

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

  • Dyson Daniels (knee) — Injured

Denver Nuggets News

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

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

San Antonio Spurs News

Confirmed Lineup: Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembanyama

  • Keldon Johnson (illness) — Not on injury report

  • Cedi Osman (ankle) — Out for season

  • Charles Bassey (knee) — Out for season

Atlanta Hawks News

Confirmed Lineup: Dejounte Murray, Wesley Matthews, Vit Krejci, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic (illness) — Out

  • Jalen Johnson (ankle) — Available

  • Trae Young (finger) — Injured

  • Saddiq Bey (knee) — Out for season

  • Onyeka Okongwu (toe) — Injured

  • Kobe Bufkin (toe) — Injured

Due to his illness, Bogdanovic was added to the injury report before the previous outing but ultimately started and played 34 minutes. With his availability in question for Friday's contest, there is a chance that the Hawks' backcourt could be down their top replacement starter. That would likely leave Murray to handle much of the offensive workload, as he's typically done in these situations. With Young and Bogdanovic off the floor this season, Murray has seen a +5.8% usage rate differential.

Utah Jazz News

Confirmed Lineup: Keyonte George, Collin Sexton, Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks, John Collins

  • Taylor Hendricks (toe) — Available

  • Lauri Markkanen (quad) — Out

  • Jordan Clarkson (groin) — Out

  • Kris Dunn (rest) — Out