Starting Lineups: March 4
Well, this is quite a slate of games. We hope your Wednesday night is clear, because the NBA has 13 matchups on the docket with several you won't want to miss.
While teams like the Pacers, Suns, Celtics and Hornets all jockey for playoff positioning early on, the red-hot Cavaliers will look to assert Eastern Conference dominance against the struggling Raptors.
As the West gets going, the Grizzlies and Rockets meet for the fourth time, the Pelicans may get Anthony Davis back and Russell Westbrook will inexplicably return after one game off due to a broken face for the Thunder. The nightcaps will see the upstart Bucks try to steal one in Oakland while the Blazers and Clippers lock horns for the third time this season.
It's a lot. It's awesome. Here are your projected starting lineups.
New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
| Position | Knicks | Pacers |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Langston Galloway | George Hill |
| SG | Tim Hardaway | C.J. Miles |
| SF | Cleanthony Early | Solomon Hill |
| PF | Lou Amundson | David West |
| C | Andrea Bargnani | Ian Mahinmi |
Knicks PG Jose Calderon (Achilles), SF Carmelo Anthony (knee) remain out
Pacers C Roy Hibbert (rest) will not play
Pacers SF Paul George (leg) remains out
Phoenix Suns at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. ET
| Position | Suns | Magic |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Eric Bledsoe | Elfrid Payton |
| SG | Brandon Knight | Victor Oladipo |
| SF | P.J. Tucker | Tobias Harris |
| PF | Markieff Morris | Dewayne Dedmon |
| C | Alex Len | Nikola Vucevic |
Suns SF Danny Granger (personal) has not joined team
Magic SG Evan Fournier (hip) will not play
Magic PG Luke Ridnour (hamstring) will not play
Magic PF Aaron Gordon (ankle) will play
Magic SG Devyn Marble (eye) will not play
Utah Jazz at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Jazz | Celtics |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Dante Exum | Marcus Smart |
| SG | Joe Ingles | Avery Bradley |
| SF | Gordon Hayward | Evan Turner |
| PF | Derrick Favors | Brandon Bass |
| C | Rudy Gobert | Tyler Zeller |
Jazz SG Alec Burks (shoulder) remains out
Celtics C Kelly Olynyk (ankle) will return from 18-game absence
Celtics PF Jared Sullinger (foot) remains out
Charlotte Hornets at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Hornets | Nets |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Mo Williams | Deron Williams |
| SG | Gerald Henderson | Markel Brown |
| SF | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | Alan Anderson |
| PF | Marvin Williams | Joe Johnson |
| C | Al Jefferson | Mason Plumlee |
Hornets PG Kemba Walker (knee) remains out
Nets PF Mirza Teletovic (medical) remains out
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Cavaliers | Raptors |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Kyrie Irving | Greivis Vasquez |
| SG | J.R. Smith | DeMar DeRozan |
| SF | LeBron James | James Johnson |
| PF | Kevin Love | Amir Johnson |
| C | Timofey Mozgov | Jonas Valanciunas |
Cavaliers C Anderson Varejao (Achilles), SF Shawn Marion (hip) remain out
Raptors PG Kyle Lowry (rest) will not play
Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Grizzlies | Rockets |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Mike Conley | Patrick Beverley |
| SG | Courtney Lee | James Harden |
| SF | Jeff Green | Trevor Ariza |
| PF | Zach Randolph | Terrence Jones |
| C | Marc Gasol | Donatas Motijunas |
Grizzlies SF Vince Carter (foot) will not play
Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph (illness) will play
Grizzlies PG Beno Udrih (illness) will play
Rockets PF Kostas Papanikolaou (ankle) will not play
Rockets C Dwight Howard (knee) remains out
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Nuggets | Timberwolves |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Ty Lawson | Ricky Rubio |
| SG | Randy Foye | Kevin Martin |
| SF | Danilo Gallinari | Andrew Wiggins |
| PF | Wilson Chandler | Kevin Garnett |
| C | Kenneth Faried | Nikola Pekovic |
Nuggets PF Darrell Arthur (calf) will play
Nuggets C Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) will not play
Timberwolves SG Kevin Martin (illness) will play
Timberwolves C Nikola Pekovic (ankle) will play
Timberwolves PF Anthony Bennett (leg), SF Robbie Hummel, PF Shabazz Muhammad (finger) remain out
Detroit Pistons at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Pistons | Pelicans |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Reggie Jackson | Tyreke Evans |
| SG | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Eric Gordon |
| SF | Tayshaun Prince | Quincy Pondexter |
| PF | Greg Monroe | Anthony Davis |
| C | Andre Drummond | Omer Asik |
Pistons PG Brandon Jennings (Achilles) remains out
Pelicans PF Anthony Davis (shoulder) will play
Pelicans PG Jrue Holiday (leg), PF Ryan Anderson (knee) remain out
Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | 76ers | Thunder |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Isaiah Canaan | Russell Westbrook |
| SG | Jakarr Sampson | Andre Roberson |
| SF | Luc Mbah a Moute | Kyle Singler |
| PF | Nerlens Noel | Serge Ibaka |
| C | Henry Sims | Enes Kanter |
76ers SG Robert Covington (elbow) will not play
76ers SG Jason Richardson (wrist) will play
76ers C Joel Embiid (foot), PG Tony Wroten (knee) remain out
Thunder PG Russell Westbrook (face) will play
Thunder C Steven Adams (hand) will not play
Thunder SF Kevin Durant (foot), PF Steve Novak (medical) remain out
Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Lakers | Heat |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Jordan Clarkson | Goran Dragic |
| SG | Wayne Ellington | Dwyane Wade |
| SF | Ryan Kelly | Luol Deng |
| PF | Carlos Boozer | Udonis Haslem |
| C | Robert Sacre | Hassan Whiteside |
Lakers SG Nick Young (knee) will not play
Lakers SG Kobe Bryant (shoulder), PG Steve Nash (back), PF Julius Randle (leg), PG Ronnie Price (elbow) remain out
Heat PF Chris Bosh (medical), PF Josh McRoberts (knee) remain out
Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Kings | Spurs |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Ray McCallum | Tony Parker |
| SG | Ben McLemore | Danny Green |
| SF | Rudy Gay | Kawhi Leonard |
| PF | Jason Thompson | Tim Duncan |
| C | DeMarcus Cousins | Tiago Splitter |
Kings PG Darren Collison (hip), SF Eric Moreland (shoulder) remain out
Milwaukee Bucks at Golden State Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Bucks | Warriors |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Michael Carter-Williams | Steph Curry |
| SG | Khris Middleton | Klay Thompson |
| SF | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Harrison Barnes |
| PF | Jared Dudley | Draymond Green |
| C | Zaza Pachulia | Andrew Bogut |
Bucks SG O.J. Mayo (hamstring) will not play
Bucks PF Jabari Parker (knee), SF Damien Inglis (foot) remain out
Warriors PG Leandro Barbosa (illness) will play
Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Trail Blazers | Clippers |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Damian Lillard | Chris Paul |
| SG | Wesley Matthews | J.J. Redick |
| SF | Nicolas Batum | Matt Barnes |
| PF | LaMarcus Aldridge | Spencer Hawes |
| C | Robin Lopez | DeAndre Jordan |
Clippers SG Jamal Crawford (calf) will not play
Clippers SF Matt Barnes (hamstring) will not play
Clippers PF Blake Griffin (elbow) remains out