NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 4/29

Apr 29th 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

  • Jamal Murray (calf) — Available

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__NBA for notifications.

Boston Celtics News

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

Miami Heat News

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

  • Delon Wright (personal) — Available

  • Jimmy Butler (knee) — Injured

  • Terry Rozier (neck) — Injured

  • Josh Richardson (shoulder) — Out for season

After winning Game 2 in Boston, the Heat hosted the Celtics for Game 3 and lost by 20 points. The absences of Butler and Rozier have put a damper on this series, and Miami will remain without both players for Monday's contest. When asked about Rozier's timeline, coach Spoelstra didn't sound confident that he'd get him back soon:

"I don't know. The outlook is still the same. He's day to day. When it changes, I'll let you know."

Herro and Adebayo must provide more offensive production than they did in Game 3 when they combined for 35 points on 38.2% from the field.

Oklahoma City Thunder News

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

New Orleans Pelicans News

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

  • Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) — Available

  • Zion Williamson (hamstring) — Injured

Los Angeles Lakers News

Confirmed Lineup: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Anthony Davis

  • Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) — Available

  • Cam Reddish (ankle) — Out

  • Jalen Hood-Schifino (back) — Injured

Vanderbilt has a chance to return after being sidelined since February 3, and the Lakers could use the help off the bench. Los Angeles extended the series with a Game 4 win, and they'll look to do the same in Game 5. They could have an edge considering Jamal Murray (calf) is questionable. If Murray sits, the Lakers should have a real chance at competing in this contest. James and Davis looked refreshed in the previous outing as they combined for 55 points, 28 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Denver Nuggets News

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

  • Jamal Murray (calf) — Available

  • Reggie Jackson (ankle) — Available

  • Vlatko Cancar (knee) — Injured

Murray was nursing his ailment during the fourth quarter of Game 4 and his availability for Monday's outing is in question. The Nuggets are up 3-1 in the series after failing to finish a sweep of the Lakers last game, and if Murray is sidelined, expect the ball to be in Jokic's hands even more. Jokic saw a +4.3% usage rate differential sans Murray during the regular season. Jackson would likely start at point guard in that scenario, and he averaged 9.2 more minutes in games that Murray was unavailable for this year.