This edition of NBA rumors and news will examine how long Coby White, Luka Doncic, and Draymond Green will be out after suffering injuries, as well as other injury tidbits.
NBA Rumors: Coby White, Luka Doncic, Draymond Green and Knicks Give Young Guard A Second Chance
Coby White Out For Tonight
The Chicago Bulls appear to be headed to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament once again, and White’s improvement is a major reason why. However, White will miss tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after suffering a hip injury in last night’s victory over Indiana.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that White has been ruled out tonight after an MRI revealed a mild hip strain. However, he could suit up when the Bulls play Saturday.
Chicago Bulls G Coby White’s MRI revealed a mild hip strain, sources tell ESPN. White – a Most Improved Player candidate — has averaged 19.7 points and 5.2 assists and could return to lineup as soon as Saturday vs. Wizards.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 14, 2024
White was injured after having his layup blocked by Pascal Siakam with about 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. After a few moments of writhing in pain and clutching his leg, White had to be helped to the locker room.
Crazy block by Pascal Siakam. Coby White had to be helped to the locker room after this play. pic.twitter.com/MvjebEj21r
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) March 14, 2024
After the game, head coach Billy Donovan said White would undergo additional testing, but the fifth-year guard appeared to be in good spirits in the locker room, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relayed.
Billy Donovan said Coby White has a hip injury and will undergo further testing in Chicago
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 14, 2024
“It looks like his hip right now. I don’t have anymore detail than that. I know in Chicago he’s gonna have to get examined what that is. I’m not quite sure whether X-rays or MRI,” Donovan said.
Who Could See An Uptick In Minutes For Bulls
White scored 15 points against Indiana, marking his 54th straight double-figure game. In his career season, White is averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds while shooting .452/.388/.837.
Chicago is ninth in the conference with a 32-34 record. The Bulls are two and one-half games ahead of Atlanta and six games clear of 11th-place Brooklyn.
With White out, Jevon Carter and Onuralp Bitim are slated to see more playing time. The Bulls brought Carter in to compete for the starting point guard spot, but due to his ineffectiveness, he has been limited to 13 minutes a game. Meanwhile, Bitim has seen at least 10 minutes in four straight games.
Luka Doncic Will Not Play Tonight
According to ESPN, Doncic did not travel with his Dallas Mavericks teammates to Oklahoma City for tonight’s game against the Thunder.
Doncic tweaked his left hamstring in Wednesday’s win over Golden State. The 25-year-old exited the game midway through the fourth quarter with soreness, just 22 seconds after re-entering. He finished the game with 21 points and nine assists in 30 minutes, snapping his NBA record of seven straight triple-doubles.
With Dallas off until Sunday, it is possible that Doncic will miss just one contest.
Dante Exum will likely replace Doncic on the starting unit. Exum has started 14 games for the Mavs this year, producing 14.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .600/.533/.840.
Leonard to Play Thursday, Harden Out
The Los Angeles Clippers will have Kawhi Leonard against Chicago tonight, but not James Harden, The Athletic’s Law Murray reports.
James Harden is out
Kawhi Leonard is in
Bones Hyland will startFirst time this season Clippers won’t have James Harden or Russell Westbrook
Harden’s 59-game streak, longest since 2017, ends.
— Law Murray 🧭 (@LawMurrayTheNU) March 14, 2024
The Clippers originally listed Leonard and Harden as questionable for tonight’s game against Chicago. Harden is dealing with a left shoulder strain, while Leonard left Tuesday night’s game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves with thoracic spasms.
“He’s been dealing with it for a couple of days. Back spasms,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said following Tuesday’s game. “Wasn’t sure if he was gonna go this morning, but he came to shoot around, got some treatment, did what he had to do to try to get on the court and play today, and it just didn’t loosen up for him.”
Murray relayed that Bones Hyland will get the start for the Clippers at point guard. It will be Hyland’s third start of the season. He has totaled 20 points and eight rebounds over 66 minutes in his previous starts this year.
Other News
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is considered day-to-day after sitting out Wednesday’s loss to Dallas due to a lower back injury. Green is questionable for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry, who last played on March 8 due to an ankle injury, is slated to return to practice on Friday and is expected to suit up against the Lakers.
Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy on Thursday to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower left back. The team said he is expected to recover ahead of training camp in the fall.
Ben Simmons underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy earlier today to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower back. Simmons is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp next season, Brooklyn Nets announce.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) March 14, 2024
The back surgery was Simmons’ second in the past two years. His first surgery, a microdiscectomy back in May 2022, was to alleviate the pain and symptoms from a herniated disc on the right side of his spine.
Utah Jazz forwards Taylor Hendricks and Lauri Markkanen returned to practice on Wednesday, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
So interpreting/estimating somewhat what this means… I'd expect Taylor Hendricks will likely be back on Friday, Markkanen probably 1-2 more games, and Clarkson probably out on Friday and maybe a little bit longer.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) March 13, 2024
Hendricks missed the previous three games with a toe injury, while Markkanen sat out four straight contests (right quadriceps contusion). Meanwhile, Jordan Clarkson didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice due to a right groin injury. It is assumed he suffered the injury during Tuesday’s loss to Boston.
Larson added that he expects Hendricks to play on Friday against Atlanta. He said Markkanen may need to sit out one or two more games and needed clarification on Clarkson.
