NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 4/24

Apr 24th 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 Jovic (back) — Available

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Miami Heat News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Bam Adebayo

  • Nikola Jovic (back) — Available

  • Jimmy Butler (knee) — Injured

  • Terry Rozier (neck) — Injured

  • Josh Richardson (shoulder) — Out for season

The Heat struggled in the series opener versus Boston as they went down 12-0 in the first three minutes and ultimately lost by 20 points. If they were going to compete, Adebayo and Herro would've needed to step up sans Butler, and only one of those players came through. While Adebayo posted 24 points, Herro scored just 11 points on 31% shooting. With Butler set to miss the next few weeks, the Heat's chances of advancing to the next round will continue to depend on his co-star's performances. Miami must also improve their three-point defense as Boston shot 22-49 (44.9%) from deep in Game 1.

Boston Celtics News

Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis

  • Luke Kornet (calf) — Injured

Boston utilized an eight-man rotation to begin the postseason. The three reserves the Celtics used were Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser, who combined to score 30 points on 52% from the field. Their bench players should continue to receive substantial playing time for the duration of this series, as the Heat looked overmatched for Game 1's entirety and will continue to be without Jimmy Butler (knee).

New Orleans Pelicans News

Confirmed Lineup: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, Jonas Valanciunas

  • Zion Williamson (hamstring) — Injured

The Pelicans heartbreakingly lost their series opener as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a go-ahead basket with 33 seconds left, contributing to a two-point victory for the Thunder. New Orleans was without Williamson and will continue to be as he's scheduled to be re-evaluated around the beginning of May. That means they will need more production from Ingram, who scored just 12 points in 37 minutes in Game 1. Defensively, the Pelicans still looked great sans Williamson, as Oklahoma City scored just 94 points after averaging 120.1 points per contest during the regular season.

Oklahoma City Thunder News

Confirmed Lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

The Thunder's offense primarily ran through its top three players in Game 1 as Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Jalen Williams combined to score 62 of the team's 94 points. The trio attempted a total of 56 field goal attempts. Oklahoma City will look to take a two-game lead in the series, and they'll have a good chance to do so as New Orleans will be missing Zion Williamson (hamstring) again. The Thunder haven't lost to the Pelicans since November 1 of last year, winning three consecutive meetings since.