NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 3/23

Mar 23rd 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

  • Nikola Jokic (back, hip) — Out

  • Jayson Tatum (ankle) — In

  • Jamal Murray (ankle) — Out

  • Anfernee Simons (knee) — Out

  • Jaylen Brown (injury management) — Out

  • Kristaps Porzingis (injury management) — Out

  • Jrue Holiday (shoulder) — Out

  • Coby White (hip) — Available

  • Jordan Poole (hip) — Available

  • Jusuf Nurkic (eye) — In

  • Deandre Ayton (elbow) — Out

  • Jerami Grant (hamstring) — Out

  • John Collins (face) — In

  • Al Horford (toe) — In

  • Dennis Schroder (arm) — Available

  • Gary Trent Jr. (back) — Available

  • Gary Harris (foot) — Out

  • Alex Caruso (ankle) — Available

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Brooklyn Nets News

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

  • Dennis Smith Jr. (hip) — Available

  • Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) — Not on injury report

  • Dennis Schroder (arm) — Available

  • Ben Simmons (back) — Out for season

  • Dariq Whitehead (shin) — Out for season

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

Sacramento Kings News

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

  • Sasha Vezenkov (ankle) — Out

  • Kevin Huerter (shoulder) — Injured

  • Trey Lyles (knee) — Injured

Orlando Magic News

Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Suggs, Caleb Houstan, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

  • Gary Harris (foot) — Out

The Magic have been one of the league's best teams in March, made apparent by their 8-2 record and fifth-ranked +7.4 Net Rating. They'll match up against the Kings, who have also ranked top five in Net Rating (+7.8) this month. Harris has been a fixture in Orlando's starting lineup since the All-Star break. If he is sidelined, Anthony Black will be the likely fill-in starter, but Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony would be plenty involved off the bench.

Charlotte Hornets News

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

  • JT Thor (shoulder) — Out

  • Bryce McGowens (knee) — Out

  • LaMelo Ball (ankle) — Injured

  • Mark Williams (back) — Injured

  • Cody Martin (ankle) — Injured

  • Seth Curry (ankle) — Injured

Atlanta Hawks News

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

  • Onyeka Okongwu (injury management) — Out

  • 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

Toronto Raptors News

Confirmed Lineup: Jahmi'us Ramsey, Gary Trent Jr., Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk

  • Gary Trent Jr. (back) — Available

  • DJ Carton (ankle) — Out

  • Jontay Porter (personal) — Out

  • Immanuel Quickley (personal) — Out

  • RJ Barrett (personal) — Out

  • Scottie Barnes (hand) — Injured

  • Jakob Poeltl (finger) — Injured

  • Chris Boucher (knee) — Injured

Washington Wizards News

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

  • Marvin Bagley (back) — Not on injury report

  • Jordan Poole (hip) — Available

  • Tyus Jones (back) — Out

  • Landry Shamet (calf) — Out

  • Eugene Omoruyi (ankle) — Out

  • Bilal Coulibaly (wrist) — Out for season

  • Isaiah Livers (hip) — Out for season

Boston Celtics News

Confirmed Lineup: Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, Luke Kornet

  • Jayson Tatum (ankle) — In

  • Al Horford (toe) — In

  • Jaylen Brown (injury management) — Out

  • Kristaps Porzingis (injury management) — Out

  • Jrue Holiday (shoulder) — Out

The Celtics were without Tatum, Holiday, and Horford for the first leg of their back-to-back set on Friday but still beat Detroit by 27 points. They'll now face the Bulls, who have won six of their last 10 games. Regardless of who has been available, Boston has been excellent recently, winning eight consecutive outings and posting a league-best +19.6 Net Rating in those games.

Chicago Bulls News

Confirmed Lineup: Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic

  • Coby White (hip) — Available

  • Alex Caruso (ankle) — Available

  • Julian Phillips (foot) — Injured

  • Zach LaVine (foot) — Out for season

  • Patrick Williams (foot) — Out for season

  • Lonzo Ball (knee) — Out for season

Utah Jazz News

Confirmed Lineup: Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, Johnny Juzang, Taylor Hendricks, John Collins

  • John Collins (face) — In

  • Omer Yurtseven (ankle) — Out

  • Lauri Markkanen (injury maintenance) — Out

  • Jordan Clarkson (groin) — Out

Markkanen will be sidelined for the second time in the last four games. The Jazz haven't found much success this season whether or not he has been available, but they've averaged fewer points, rebounds, and assists in the 17 contests he's missed. Utah will face Houston for the second time this season. The Rockets won an overtime thriller in the first game between these teams, and they'll have home-court advantage again as they did in the previous meeting.

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

Phoenix Suns News

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

  • Jusuf Nurkic (eye) — In

  • Josh Okogie (abdominal) — Available

  • Damion Lee (knee) — Injured

San Antonio Spurs News

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

  • Charles Bassey (knee) — Out for season

Denver Nuggets News

Confirmed Lineup: Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon. DeAndre Jordan

  • Nikola Jokic (back, hip) — Out

  • Jamal Murray (ankle) — Out

  • Zeke Nnaji (adductor) — Out

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

With Jokic and Murray's availability in question, the Nuggets could need their other players to handle increased roles. Look no further than Porter Jr., who has averaged 23.0 points per game and shot 50.0% from beyond the arc over the last five outings. Even if one or both of Jokic and Murray sit, Denver should be able to handle Portland. The Trail Blazers have the league's eighth-worst Defensive Rating (116.1) this month and have lost five consecutive contests.

Portland Trail Blazers News

Confirmed Lineup: Scoot Henderson, Rayan Rupert, Kris Murray, Toumani Camara, Duop Reath

  • Anfernee Simons (knee) — Out

  • Deandre Ayton (elbow) — Out

  • Jerami Grant (hamstring) — Out

  • Matisse Thybulle (ankle) — Out

  • Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) — Injured

  • Shaedon Sharpe (core) — Injured

  • Robert Williams (knee) — Out for season