Below are the projected starting lineups for each NBA team for Thursday's two-game slate, along with notable news for each squad. For real-time updates to these lineups, check out the NBA Labs Insiders tool.
Last updated Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Projected NBA Starting Lineups for Thursday, July 30
- Los Angeles Clippers: Patrick Beverley – Kawhi Leonard – Paul George – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
- Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Danny Green – Anthony Davis – JaVale McGee
- New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball – Jrue Holiday – Brandon Ingram – Zion Williamson – Derrick Favors
- Utah Jazz: Mike Conley – Donovan Mitchell – Joe Ingles – Royce O'Neale – Rudy Gobert
Injury News
- Los Angeles Clippers: Lou Williams (not with team) and Montrezl Harrell (not with team) are out. Patrick Beverley (personal) is questionable. Landry Shamet (coronavirus) is not on the injury report and on track to play.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Rajon Rondo (hand) and Avery Bradley (opt out) are out. Anthony Davis (eye) is questionable, plans to play. LeBron James (groin), Kyle Kuzma (ankle) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (rib) are probable.
- New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (re-conditioning) is a game-time decision, on track to play but will likely be on a minutes limit.
- Utah Jazz: Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) is out for the season.
Injury/News Analysis
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers will be the most shorthanded squad of the night, missing two key rotation players in Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. That will definitely shorten the rotation, giving additional minutes to Marcus Morris, JaMychal Green and a few of the guards.
Speaking of the guards, Patrick Beverley is questionable, which means that Reggie Jackson could be the lone true point guard on the roster. If you're looking for DFS value, the Clippers definitely provide it given their roster shortages.
Betting-wise, the Clips are deep enough to survive the absences. What is unclear is how much they'll prioritize this game and push their stars, along with someone like Landry Shamet, who is an intriguing fill-in recovering from COVID-19.
Morris has been great for this on the defensive end, where he provides another big wing for a Clips team already drowning in them with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. In his 340 minutes with the team, they've defended 10.2 points/100 better with him on the floor vs. off. The Clips have more bodies than any team to throw at LeBron James and Anthony Davis — but again, it's all about how much they'll care about the regular season.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers will be down two guards in Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, but they likely won't feel that on Thursday vs. the Clippers. Bradley's defensive versatility and veteran presence could've helped in the playoffs, but overall the Lakers should be just fine in the short-term and likely long-term, too.
LeBron is absolutely fine to run things on offense anyway, making the point guard position less relevant, and Alex Caruso might be the best non-Danny Green guard on the team anyway. The Lakers have been 4.6 points/100 better with him on vs. off the floor, and he doesn't have many weaknesses given what they need from him. He's solid defensively and is an excellent shooter.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pels look like they should be fully healthy — if Zion Williamson plays, that is. He's currently a game-time decision as he tries to re-integrate himself following an absence from the Orlando bubble.
If he doesn't play, that's a problem as he's already the best player on the team. The Pels have been a ridiculous 12.2 points/100 better with him on vs. off the floor — one of the strongest marks in the league. He's the biggest name to monitor on Thursday's slate and would definitely shift the line if he's unable to go.
Utah Jazz
There's no news to monitor, but they suffered a big injury since we last saw them. Wing Bojan Bogdanovic is out for the season, and he's one of the more underrated players in the league.
He has solid chops as a secondary/tertiary ball-handler, and it's no surprise that the offense has been 6.0 points/100 better with him on the floor vs. off given his shooting and versatility. He's been over 40% from beyond the arc each of the past three seasons, making him one of the more dangerous marksmen in the league.
Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson will pick up the slack in different roles — the former with the shooting and size, the latter with creation. Ingles is solid yet aging, while Clarkson is definitely a boom-or-bust wildcard. They'll miss the stability of Bogdanovich and will need huge play from Donovan Mitchell and for Mike Conley to keep improving for them to make a run in Orlando.
