Scheduled
Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks
2026-27 · Regular season
Thursday NBA injury report: Tyrese Haliburton out at least two weeks, Luka Dončić hopeful for Friday, and Jordan Poole’s ankle hangs over Kings-Pelicans
Rick Carlisle says Tyrese Haliburton has a mild hamstring strain and is week-to-week, the Lakers hope to have Luka Dončić back Friday, and Jordan Poole left with a left ankle injury before the Pelicans host the Kings.
In this article
Thursday has only three games, and most of the injury news came out of Wednesday night. Indiana will be without Tyrese Haliburton for at least two weeks with a mild left hamstring strain, the Lakers held Luka Dončić out with back tightness but hope to have him on Friday, and New Orleans guard Jordan Poole left Wednesday’s loss to Denver with a left ankle injury, one night before the Pelicans host Sacramento.
Statuses below come from the league’s 12:15 a.m. ET report on Thursday. Cleveland, Atlanta and New Orleans, all on the second night of back-to-backs, had not filed yet. Times are Eastern. Egypt’s clocks go back an hour at midnight on Thursday night, so the two 8 p.m. ET games tip at 2 a.m. Friday in Cairo and the late game in Portland at 4 a.m.
Haliburton is week-to-week
Haliburton was questionable with left hamstring tightness for most of Wednesday and was ruled out before Indiana’s 114-109 home loss to Philadelphia. Before the game, Rick Carlisle called it a mild strain and said the Pacers list it as week-to-week. He told reporters to ask again in two weeks. “I don’t think it’s realistic that he would play before then,” Carlisle said. Scott Agness noted earlier this week that Haliburton is the fifth Pacer to deal with a hamstring problem since training camp.
Andrew Nembhard, questionable earlier on Wednesday with neck soreness, was cleared and played 35 minutes, scoring 18. Ivica Zubac (left ankle sprain), T.J. McConnell (right hamstring strain), Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy were also out. The Pacers play in Miami on Friday.
Dončić and Ziaire Williams sat as a precaution
The Lakers ruled out Dončić (back tightness) and Ziaire Williams (left foot soreness) on Wednesday afternoon for the second night of a back-to-back against the Clippers. Dončić scored 41 in Tuesday’s 136-129 loss in Portland, and it was his first missed game of the season. JJ Redick said both players woke up sore after the Portland game and that the Lakers were being cautious in the second game of a stretch of five games in seven days. Redick’s hope is that both will be available on Friday at Golden State, Dave McMenamin reported, and Dan Woike reported there was no long-term worry about Dončić’s health. Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee injury management) were also out.
Cavaliers at Hawks, 8 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Friday in Cairo)
Neither team had filed overnight. Cleveland beat Washington 121-111 on Wednesday with only Nae’Qwan Tomlin (low back stress reaction) out for injury, along with two G League players. Atlanta lost 129-117 at home to Miami. Aaron Wiggins played through his left knee contusion and scored 10 in 24 minutes, and Jock Landale played 17 minutes with his nasal fracture. Mouhamed Gueye (left foot fracture) and Henri Veesaar (torn right ACL) were out. Game Center.
Kings at Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Friday in Cairo)
Poole was listed as available with an illness on Wednesday and played only seven minutes, scoring two points, before the Pelicans said he would not return with a left ankle injury. Jon Sokoloff noted that Poole seemed to hurt the ankle on a transition layup attempt in the first half. New Orleans lost 104-91 to Denver to fall to 0-4 and has not given a diagnosis. Yves Missi (left knee bone bruise) is still out. The Pelicans have not filed for Thursday.
Sacramento, 0-4 and rested after sitting out Wednesday, has the same four players out. Keegan Murray (left ankle capsulitis) is due to be reevaluated 10 to 14 days from Monday, Maxime Raynaud (right patellar subluxation) in about two weeks and Dylan Cardwell (left calf strain) in about a week, as the Kings announced before Tuesday’s report. Ben Simmons is out after right Achilles tendon surgery, and two-way guard Sean Pedulla is with the G League team. Game Center.
Grizzlies at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Friday in Cairo)
Memphis, 4-0, has nobody on the report. Portland, 3-0, has taken Scoot Henderson (left ankle soreness) and Branden Carlson (concussion protocol) off its list after both were cleared for Tuesday’s win over the Lakers. Shaedon Sharpe (right meniscus surgery) is still out, and Jayson Kent, John Tonje, Chris Youngblood and Yang Hansen are questionable with the G League team. Game Center.
Elsewhere
Washington scratched Tre Johnson late on Wednesday with right Achilles soreness, after he had played in all four games. Brian Keefe said afterward that Johnson is day-to-day, Greg Finberg reported. AJ Dybantsa made his debut in the same game and scored 19 in 26 minutes. The Wizards host Charlotte on Friday. In Minnesota, Anthony Edwards has his right knee procedure on Thursday, and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams has had surgery on his fractured fibula and dislocated ankle.
What comes next
Cleveland, Atlanta and New Orleans have to file by Thursday afternoon, and Poole is the main call to watch. Friday has 10 games, including the Lakers at Golden State, where Dončić and Williams are expected to be checked again. Wednesday’s statuses are in Wednesday’s report, and the injuries page tracks every team’s latest list.
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