NBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 5/1

May 1st 2024Ryan 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

  • Luka Doncic (knee) — Available

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Miami Heat News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyler Herro, Delon Wright, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, Bam Adebayo

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. (hip) — Out

  • Jimmy Butler (knee) — Injured

  • Terry Rozier (neck) — Injured

  • Josh Richardson (shoulder) — Out for season

Jaquez Jr. is out Wednesday with a strained right hip flexor. He went to the locker room during the first half of Monday's Game 4 and quickly returned to the contest, but he was ultimately held out of the fourth quarter. Miami will face elimination in Game 5 without Jaquez Jr. as well as the injured Butler (knee) and Rozier (neck). Wright and Patty Mills each played the final 17:25 of Game 4 and are both in contention to start in Jaquez Jr.'s place.

Boston Celtics News

Confirmed Lineup: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford

  • Kristaps Porzingis (calf) — Injured

Porzingis will miss Wednesday's game and is expected to miss at least several more with a strained right calf. His injury occurred just before halftime in Game 4; coach Mazzulla played Luke Kornet for three minutes in the second half but otherwise rolled with a seven-man rotation. Horford joined the first unit and played 21 second-half minutes. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser are the only Celtics assured of regular bench minutes in Game 5.

Dallas Mavericks News

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

  • Luka Doncic (knee) — Available

  • Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle) — Out

  • Olivier-Maxence Prosper (ankle) — Out

Doncic had been described as having a sore knee prior to Tuesday's practice, but coach Kidd confirmed he was diagnosed with a sprain. However, he was able to do "everything" in practice, according to Kidd, and he should be good to go for a pivotal contest on Wednesday. He played 45 minutes in Game 4, scoring 29 points with a team-leading +10 plus/minus.

One rotation note to monitor is Maxi Kleber possibly supplanting Gafford; Kleber played the final 17:04 of Game 4, briefly overlapping with Gafford to begin the fourth quarter, but finishing the game at center alongside the rest of the Dallas starting five.

Los Angeles Clippers News

Confirmed Lineup: James Harden, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, Paul George, Ivica Zubac

  • Kawhi Leonard (knee) — Injured

Leonard did not practice on Tuesday and appears no closer to a return from his knee issue. Coffey started Game 4 and played 23 minutes, but as expected, it was Norman Powell who earned most of the crunch time minutes, closing each half and playing the final 16:05 in a road win at Dallas.