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
Joel Embiid (migraine) — Available
Tyrese Haliburton (back) — Available
Jalen Brunson (knee) — In
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) — Out
Damian Lillard (Achilles) — Out
Khris Middleton (ankle) — Available
Jarrett Allen (rib) — Out
Kelly Oubre (illness) — Available
Patrick Beverley (oblique) — Available
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — Available
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Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid (migraine) — Available
Kelly Oubre (illness) — Available
Robert Covington (knee) — Injured
Joel Embiid is officially listed as questionable for injury recovery, but has shown no signs of limitation with his knee issue and should once again be a full go in Game 5. Embiid has averaged 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists over 40.0 minutes per game during the playoffs. He's also steadily increased his playing time game over game, with per-game minutes amounts of 37, 39, 41, and most recently 44 in Game 4. However, much has been made of his struggles in the fourth quarter. He's averaging 6.8 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists during the final frame in this series. Those figures are punctuated by a one-point, one-rebound, one-assist performance while playing all 12 minutes during the fourth quarter in Game 4.
Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein
Jalen Brunson (knee) — In
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — Available
Jericho Sims (shoulder) — Available
Bojan Bogdanovic (ankle) — Out
Julius Randle (shoulder) — Out for season
Confirmed Lineup: Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
The Magic's splits between Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland vs. Games 3 and 4 in Orlando are staggering. During the first two outings in this series, the Magic have an offensive rating of 88.5, which is 16th out of 16 playoff teams in terms of road performance. In Games 3 and 4 (home games), Orlando's offensive rating of 127.3 leads the league.
The good news for Orlando is that their vaunted defense has traveled well, as the Magic rank second in home defensive rating while maintaining third place in that category on the road. They'll have to play better offensively while maintaining that stout defense in order to steal Game 5 in Cleveland.
Confirmed Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley
Jarrett Allen (rib) — Out
Craig Porter Jr. (ankle) — Out
Dean Wade (knee) — Injured
Ty Jerome (ankle) — Injured
Confirmed Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Tyrese Haliburton (back) — Available
Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) — Out for season
Haliburton received a late questionable tag ahead of Game 4 due to back spasms, but was quickly confirmed active after the downgrade. After the game, Haliburton had the following to say about how he felt:
He did play 32 minutes in Game 4, including just under 18 first-half minutes, so he didn't appear limited, but his status is worth monitoring as the Pacers look to close out their first series victory since the 2013-14 season, when they advanced to the Conference Finals. They've lost each of their last five series in the interim.
Confirmed Lineup: Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) — Out
Damian Lillard (Achilles) — Out
Khris Middleton (ankle) — Available
Patrick Beverley (oblique) — Available
Chris Livingston (illness) — Not on injury report
The Bucks will likely be playing for their postseason lives without Antetokounmpo and Lillard once again. Beasley started ahead of Pat Connaughton with both stars out in Game 4 as coach Rivers searched for an offensive spark. Beasley provided that with a 20-point effort, but after Portis' early ejection, Milwaukee was just too shorthanded to overcome an Indiana team that shot 51% from three-point range.