An unfortunate theme to the 2024 playoffs thus far has been a litany of injuries to the league's top players. Here's the latest look at the injury report as the opening round rolls on.
Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler – There’s no timetable for the superstar’s return after he sprained his MCL in the Play-In Tournament. Miami looks to even the series against the top-seeded Celtics, who took a 2-1 series lead in a 104-84 laugher on Saturday at the Kaseya Center.
New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson – The Pelicans will once again be without Williamson as they look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Thunder. The All-Star has been out since injuring his hamstring in the Play-In Tournament. New Orleans’ head coach Willie Green gave a positive update on Williamson, saying he could return at some point in the postseason, but his progress won’t matter if the Pelicans can’t churn out some wins without him.
Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray – Denver’s star guard is questionable to play in Game 5 with a left calf strain. He averaged 21.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.1 boards in the regular season, and has been equally terrific in the postseason, averaging 21.5 points, 7.3 dimes and 5.0 rebounds in four games.
Los Angeles Lakers
Jared Vanderbilt – There’s some hope that Vanderbilt will finally return to the court as he’s listed as questionable for the first time this series. The forward’s been out since the first week of February after suffering a right mid-foot sprain in a win over the Celtics.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo – The two-time MVP has been out since injuring his calf in Milwaukee’s win on April 9 over the Celtics. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said before the team’s Game 4 loss to the Pacers that he’s optimistic Antetokounmpo could return in the series. Whether that means he’s back for Tuesday’s Game 5 remains to be seen as the Bucks face elimination down 3-1.
Damian Lillard – Milwaukee was already reeling with Antetokounmpo out, but things got even worse when Lillard aggravated a right Achilles tendon injury in the team’s Game 3 loss. He missed Sunday’s game, and reports are he’s in a walking boot. Lillard’s averaging 32.3 ppg in the postseason, which is second-best trailing only Joel Embiid (37.7).
Cleveland Cavaliers
Craig Porter – The guard is expected to miss his fourth-straight game to start the playoffs with a sprained left ankle. The rookie’s been a pleasant surprise and solid role player for the Cavs after going undrafted, averaging 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 51 games.
New York Knicks
Mitchell Robinson – The center missed the Knicks’ 97-92 Game 4 victory after injuring his ankle in a controversial play by Joel Embiid in Game 3. The Sixers’ star grabbed and threw Robinson down by the ankles, re-aggravating an injury that caused him to miss 50 games during the regular season. There was hope Robinson could play on Sunday, but he ultimately ended up sidelined. He has another day to rest up before New York looks to close out the series Tuesday night back home at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Bojan Bogdanovic – Bogdanovic played only one minute in Sunday’s win over the 76ers before injuring his foot in the second quarter. The team eventually announced he had a left ankle contusion and would not return. Bogdanovic averaged 15.2 ppg in the regular season.
Los Angeles Clippers
Kawhi Leonard – The Clippers announced before Sunday’s win that knotted the series at two games apiece that Leonard is out indefinitely with knee inflammation. The future Hall-of-Famer missed the final eight games of the regular season as well as Game 1 against the Mavericks with a balky knee. He appeared in the next two games, but didn’t look like his usual self, which the Clippers said is a major reason why he’ll be out for an undetermined period of time.
