May 12th NBA Injury Report and Projected Starting Lineups – Harden Returns; LeBron Late Scratch

• Injury report and NBA availability news for May 12th schedule
• Updates on Bradley Beal, LeBron James and James Harden for Wednesday night’s NBA schedule
• Read below for projected starting lineups and latest NBA injury news

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The playoff picture will change significantly in both conferences on Wednesday night. On the back of an impressive win, the Los Angeles Lakers face the tanking Rockets. This is an opportunity for LA with the Blazers matching up against the Utah Jazz.

Over in the East, Washington is in a must-win situation with the Hawks. The Wizards could yet move into the top half of the play-in places if results go their way in the coming days.

With the Sixers losing on Tuesday, there’s possibly a slight opening for the Brooklyn Nets if they can record a win over the struggling Spurs. Brooklyn is 4.5-point favorites.

NBA Injury News – May 12th

• [5:00pm EST] LeBron now a late scratch vs the Rockets; targeting a return on Saturday 
• [3:30pm EST, May 11th] LeBron James is expected to return for the Lakers’ game against the Rockets
• [May 10th] Bradley Beal will be re-evaluated on Friday
• [11pm EST, May 11th] James Harden will be a gametime decision for the Nets as he ramps up on-court activity after hamstring injury
• Mike Conley (hamstring) and Donovan Mitchell (ankle) remain out for the Utah Jazz

May 12th NBA Projected Starting Lineups

Wizards vs Hawks Projected Lineups

Bradley Beal (hamstring) is sitting out the second of two games before being re-evaluated on Friday. Scott Brooks has no other fresh injury concerns, though Deni Avdija (ankle) and Thomas Bryant (ACL) are out for the year.

Atlanta’s injury crisis on the wings continues. Cam Reddish (Achilles) and De’Andre Hunter (injury recovery) are out for this one. Kevin Hurter (hip) is probable, though, while Tony Snell  (Achilles soreness) is questionable. The Hawks are expected to run the same starting five if Huerter is available.

Celtics vs Cavaliers Projected Lineups

Jaylen Brown (wrist) has been ruled out for the remainder of this season, including the playoffs. Robert Williams (turf toe) is still listed as day-to-day. Locked into the play-in spots, Boston could rest some veterans for this game, too.

The Cavs are depleted. Larry Nance Jr (thumb), Matthew Dellavedova (neck), Taurean Prince (ankle) and Dylan Windler (knee) are all out for the year. Isaiah Hartenstein (concussion), Darius Garland (ankle) and Lamar Stevens (concussion) are out for Wednesday’s game, while Cedi Osman (ankle) joins them on the injury report as questionable.

Spurs vs Nets Projected Lineups

Trey Lyles and Derrick White (both ankle) are the only names on San Antonio’s injury report. Lyles is questionable, while White is unlikely to play again this season.

Brooklyn’s injury report is much busier. Kyrie Irving (face) is day-to-day after taking an elbow against the Bulls. James Harden (hamstring) is thought to be a game time decision here. Chris Chiozza (hand) and Spencer Dinwiddie (ACL) are long-term absentees.

Pelicans vs Mavericks Projected Lineups

Josh Hart (thumb) and Zion Williamson (finger) are out indefinitely for the Pels. With play-in hope all but  gone, it also seems likely that Steven Adams (toe) and Brandon Ingram (ankle) could sit this one out. The pair are listed as questionable, but the Pelicans have little to play for at this stage.

Dallas are still fighting for playoff seeding. They are playing great basketball of late and could welcome back Kristaps Porzingis (knee) for this one. JJ Redick (heel) and Tyrell Terry (personal) are out.

Blazers vs Jazz Projected Lineups

Portland has one of the cleanest injury reports in the league. Zach Collins (ankle) remains sidelined, though Nassir Little (back) is the only other player to feature. Little is questionable, and only played four minutes against Houston a couple of days ago.

Things are more problematic for Utah. Donovan Mitchell (ankle) isn’t expected to return until the postseason. Mike Conley (hamstring) and Juwan Morgan (heel) are both unavailable. Conley has missed the last eight games.

Rockets vs Lakers Projected Lineups

David Nwaba (wrist), John Wall (hamstring) and Dante Exum (calf) are out for the year, while Eric Gordon hasn’t played since March 11th. Kevin Porter Jr (ankle), Sterling Brown (head), D.J. Wilson (COVID-19 protocols), and Avery Bradley (personal) are all unavailable for Wednesday’s game with the Lakers.

DaQuan Jeffries, Christian Wood and Danuel House (all ankle) are also on the injury report. The trio are listed as questionable. It would be an understatement to say Stephen Silas is short of options.

Alex Caruso (foot) is unlikely to play. Dennis Schroder (COVID-19 protocols) isn’t ready to return, but LeBron James (ankle) could come back after sitting out Tuesday’s win over the Knicks.