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
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LeBron James (adductor) — Expects to play
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Fred VanVleet (illness) — Questionable
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Chris Paul (heel) — TBD
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Alperen Sengun (groin) — TBD
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Eric Gordon (injury maintenance) — TBD
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Bruno Fernando (injury management) — TBD
Recent NBA News
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Dallas Mavericks News
Projected Lineup: Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell
The Mavs beat the Raptors 111-110 at home earlier this month as Fred VanVleet was inactive. Doncic recorded low usage (29.8%) and a lesser assist rate (30.0%) by his standards but scored 35 points as a result of a 76.7 eFG%. Dinwiddie posted 23.0% usage and a 33.3% assist rate in an elevated role.
Toronto Raptors News
Projected Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Juancho Hernangomez Thaddeus Young
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Scottie Barnes (knee) — Out
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Fred VanVleet (illness) — Questionable
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Dalano Banton (ankle) — Questionable
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Otto Porter (foot) — Out
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Justin Champagne (back) — Out
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Precious Achiuwa (ankle) — Injured
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Pascal Siakam (adductor) — Injured
Anunoby scored 27 points on 11-for-21 shooting in a 111-110 road loss to the Mavs with VanVleet inactive earlier in the month. VanVleet has registered a +11.8% usage differential and a +13.3% assist rate differential in 61 minutes with Barnes and Siakam off the floor this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder News
Projected Lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Aleksey Pokusevski
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Jaylin Williams (G-League) — TBD
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Mike Muscala (finger) — Injured
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Chet Holmgren (foot) — Injured
Houston Rockets News
Projected Lineup: Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Eric Gordon, Jabari Smith Jr., Usman Garuba
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Alperen Sengun (groin) — TBD
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Eric Gordon (injury maintenance) — TBD
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Bruno Fernando (injury management) — TBD
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Jae’Sean Tate (ankle) — Injured
The Rockets are running pick-and-rolls at the fifth-highest frequency of their possessions (20.1%) as they ask their starting guards to generate much of their offense. The Thunder have defended pick-and-roll ball handlers at the second-best percentile in the league.
Los Angeles Lakers News
Projected Lineup: LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker, Anthony Davis
Listed “Probable” or “Questionable” before playing:
LeBron: 11-for-16 AD: 16-for-17
Schroder joined the starting lineup as James returned Friday and logged a 23.8% assist rate in 29.1 minutes. James registered a reduced 20.8% assist rate and Russell Westbrook played only 19.4 minutes as a result.
San Antonio Spurs News
Projected Lineup: Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Jakob Poeltl
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Josh Richardson (ankle) — TBD
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Doug McDermott (ankle) — TBD
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Blake Wesley (knee) — Injured
The Spurs scored 57.0 points per game in the paint in their two matchups with the Lakers, which is 5.9 points higher than their average and 0.1 points off the league-best average. San Antonio averaged only 93.0 points in those two games because they shot 19.4% from three and made 7.5 free throws per game, which ranks far below league averages.
Utah Jazz News
Projected Lineup: Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Jarred Vanderbilt, Kelly Olynyk
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Leandro Bolmaro (concussion) — TBD
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Mike Conley (knee) — Injured
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Rudy Gay (hand) — Injured
Markkanen scored a career-high 38 points on an 88.9 eFG% in a 134-133 win against the Suns last Friday. Malik Beasley led the Jazz in usage (26.4%) and scored 27 points on a 79.4 eFG%. Opponents are shooting the fifth-highest three-point percentage (37.4%) against the Suns this season.
Phoenix Suns News
Projected Lineup: Cam Payne, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Torrey Craig, Deandre Ayton
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Chris Paul (heel) — TBD
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Landry Shamet (concussion) — TBD
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Cam Johnson (knee) — Injured
Booker scored 49 points on 38.2% usage and also recorded a 34.5% assist rate and 17.5% defensive rebounding rate in a 134-133 loss against the Jazz last Friday. Ayton scored 17 points on 16.9% usage and dished out a career-high eight assists. Utah has allowed more points per 100 possessions (123.7) in their last five games than any other team.
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