NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 3/21

Mar 21st 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

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) — Available

  • Coby White (hip) — In

  • Khris Middleton (injury management) — Out

  • Nic Claxton (illness) — Available

  • Alex Caruso (ankle) — In

  • Jordan Clarkson (groin) — Out

  • John Collins (face) — Out

  • Deni Avdija (knee) — Available to play

  • Kevin Huerter (shoulder) — Out

  • Richaun Holmes (illness) — Available to play

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

  • Matt Ryan (illness) — Available

  • Dyson Daniels (knee) — Injured

Orlando Magic News

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

Sacramento Kings News

Confirmed Lineup: De'Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

  • Sasha Vezenkov (ankle) — Out

  • Kevin Huerter (shoulder) — Out

  • Trey Lyles (knee) — Injured

Huerter missed the first leg of a back-to-back set, and his status for the second leg will remain unclear until the team reveals its official injury report. Despite Huerter's absence, the Kings won Wednesday's contest by a wide margin, beating the Raptors by 34 points. Sacramento will have another winnable matchup against the Wizards, who have lost five consecutive outings. Over that span of games, Washington's opponents have shot a league-best 50.1% from the field.

Washington Wizards News

Confirmed Lineup: Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Richaun Holmes

  • Kyle Kuzma (shoulder) — Not on injury report

  • Deni Avdija (knee) — Available to play

  • Richaun Holmes (illness) — Available to play

  • Tyus Jones (back) — Out

  • Landry Shamet (calf) — Out

  • Eugene Omoruyi (ankle) — Out

  • Marvin Bagley (back) — Injured

  • Bilal Coulibaly (wrist) — Out for season

  • Isaiah Livers (hip) — Out for season

Chicago Bulls News

Confirmed Lineup: Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Torrey Craig, Nikola Vucevic

  • Andre Drummond (tooth) — Not on injury report

  • Coby White (hip) — In

  • Alex Caruso (ankle) — In

  • Julian Phillips (foot) — Injured

  • Zach LaVine (foot) — Out for season

  • Patrick Williams (foot) — Out for season

  • Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season

The Bulls have been sans White for the previous three games and have gone 2-1 without him. Regardless, they'll hope to get him back for a game against the Rockets, who have won six games in a row. During the streak, Houston's +12.0 Net Rating has been the league's fourth-best, and their 120.6 Offensive Rating has ranked fifth league-wide. Meanwhile, Chicago's 118.6 Defensive Rating in March is the fifth-worst of any team.

Houston Rockets News

Confirmed Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr.

  • Cam Whitmore (knee) — Injured

  • Alperen Sengun (ankle, knee) — Injured

  • Tari Eason (leg) — Out for season

  • Steven Adams (knee) — Out for season

Brooklyn Nets News

Confirmed Lineup: Dennis Schroder, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton

  • Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) — Out

  • Nic Claxton (illness) — Available

  • Ben Simmons (back) — Out for season

  • Dariq Whitehead (shin) — Out for season

Milwaukee Bucks News

Confirmed Lineup: Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) — Available

  • Khris Middleton (injury management) — Out

Without Antetokounmpo in the last two games, the Bucks have gone 1-1. Lillard's led the way with a 31.7% usage rate and a team-high 31.5 points per contest. Bobby Portis has also been impressive, averaging 27.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. With Antetokounmpo and Middleton's final statuses unknown, Lillard and Portis could be the primary options again versus the Nets, who have lost their last four contests.

Utah Jazz News

Confirmed Lineup: Keyonte George, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Taylor Hendricks, Walker Kessler

  • Jordan Clarkson (groin) — Out

  • John Collins (face) — Out

Dallas Mavericks News

Confirmed Lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford

  • Josh Green (ankle) — Injured

New York Knicks News

Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein

  • OG Anunoby (injury management) — Injured

  • Julius Randle (shoulder) — Injured

  • Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — Injured

Denver Nuggets News

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

  • Zeke Nnaji (back) — Out

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

Atlanta Hawks News

Confirmed Lineup: Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vit Krejci, De'Andre Hunter, Clint Capela

  • Wesley Matthews (illness) — Available

  • Jalen Johnson (ankle) — Injured

  • Trae Young (finger) — Injured

  • Kobe Bufkin (toe) — Injured

  • AJ Griffin (leg, ankle) — Injured

  • Mouhamed Gueye (elbow) — Injured

  • Saddiq Bey (knee) — Out for season

Young has been sidelined since February 25, and the Hawks have won six of their 12 outings. Considering their injuries, they'll have a tough matchup against the Suns. Atlanta will need Murray to continue his solid play, as he's averaged a team-high 25.0 points per contest since Young went down. Without Johnson, Bogdanovic and De'Andre Hunter could be even more involved on the offensive end.

Phoenix Suns News

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

  • Royce O'Neale (shoulder) — Available

  • Josh Okogie (abdominal) — Out

  • Damion Lee (knee) — Injured