NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 4/23

Apr 23rd 2024

Ryan Schwepfinger

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 (calf) — Out

  • Kawhi Leonard (knee) — In

  • Grayson Allen (ankle) — In

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Phoenix Suns News

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

  • Grayson Allen (ankle) — In

  • Damion Lee (knee) — Injured

Phoenix deployed a predictably tight rotation in their Game 1 loss to Minnesota, utilizing only seven players for 10 or more minutes of playing time. That held true even after Allen's ankle injury midway through the third quarter, as Royce O'Neale (26 minutes) and Eric Gordon (21 minutes) led the way off the bench. Eighth man Drew Eubanks played just nine minutes. Coach Vogel may look to experiment with new combinations after the Suns dropped Game 1 by 25.

Minnesota Timberwolves News

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

  • Kyle Anderson (hip) — Active

Although the Wolves had nine players play first-half minutes in Game 1, like Phoenix, only two reserves finished the game at 10 or more minutes: Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid. That very much could have been due to an early injury to Anderson, who left the game after five minutes played off the bench. Alexander-Walker picked up the slack, finishing with 18 points and a team-best +28 plus-minus in the dominating win.

Indiana Pacers News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

  • Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) — Out for season

The story of Game 1 from the Indiana perspective is likely Haliburton's offensive struggle. Although he contributed eight assists and seven rebounds, he scored just nine points and only attempted seven shots. In 69 regular-season games this campaign, Haliburton failed to reach eight or more shot attempts only four times. Haliburton's Game 1 play was even more surprising given his success against Milwaukee in 2023-24. In five regular-season games against the Bucks, Haliburton averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 assists. He did not log fewer than 16 field goal attempts in any of those five contests.

Milwaukee Bucks News

Confirmed Lineup: Damian Lillard, Patrick Beverley, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) — Out

Antetokounmpo is out Tuesday, but according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, he is progressing "slowly but surely." Milwaukee's rotation without Giannis went about as expected in Game 1, with Portis starting in his place and playing 31 minutes. Lillard led the team with 35 points on a 32.6% usage rate. It was a 8.5-man rotation for the Bucks, with AJ Green playing just six minutes off the bench.

Dallas Mavericks News

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

Perhaps the most surprising result from all of the Game 1s was how easily the Clippers beat Dallas without Kawhi Leonard. Gafford did battle a leg injury in Sunday's game, which led to him playing just 14 minutes. Dereck Lively II played 19 in his first game action since March 31, while Maxi Kleber totaled 27 minutes.

Excluding an end-of-first-half nine-second stint, Josh Green was not a part of the Mavericks' rotation until the fourth quarter, during which he scored four points and helped spark a run with a team-leading +11 plus-minus in nine minutes. Green could find his way into the rotation for Game 2. Notably, Jones Jr. did not enter the game past the 7:04 mark of the third quarter.

Los Angeles Clippers News

Confirmed Lineup: James Harden, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac

  • Kawhi Leonard (knee) — In

Although Amir Coffey started in Leonard's place in Game 1, Powell was in the game more down the stretch, playing the final 15:58 while totaling 30 minutes to Coffey's 25. Zubac, however, was arguably the biggest X-factor for the Clippers, taking advantage of Gafford's injury to total 20 points and 15 rebounds on 25.4% usage in 33 minutes.