October 21st NBA Injury Report and Projected Lineups

• There are three games on the third night of the 2021-22 NBA season
• Luka Doncic and Trae Young duel once again, Steph Curry and the Warriors take on the Clippers and there’s a playoff rematch between the Bucks and Heat
• Read below for the latest injury report updates and projected lineups

It’s a quiet NBA schedule on October 21st, but all three games are tantalizing. Fresh off an opening night win over the Lakers, the Golden State Warriors matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, who are without Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka and Nicolas Batum as reported in the NBA injury report on October 21st. Golden State isn’t without its own injury worries, though, with Jonathan Kuminga, Klay Thompson, and James Wiseman all still sidelined.

Having once again duelled in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks go toe-to-toe in Florida on Thursday night. Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is listed as probable in the NBA injury report despite leaving the win over Brooklyn with a heel issue.

Dallas has a clean injury report for their game with the Hawks. Atlanta has their projected starting lineup for the matchup, but they are without Onyeka Okongwu and are waiting for news on the availability of Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari.

NBA Injury News – October 21st

• [5:30 PM EST October 20th] Jrue Holiday (heel contusion) is listed as probable for the Bucks’ matchup with Miami
• Nicolas Batum (personal), Kawhi Leonard (knee), and Serge Ibaka (back) are all out for the Clippers’ season opener
• Danilo Gallinari (shoulder) and Lou Williams (hip) are out for the Hawks
• Jonathan Kuminga is still out for the Warriors – Steve Kerr said on October 17th that he wasn’t yet ready for on-court work

Projected Starting Lineups

Mavericks vs Hawks Projected Lineups

With Jason Kidd succeeding Rick Carlisle as head coach, there’s some uncertainty over how the Mavericks starting lineup and rotation will look.

Dallas has no one on the NBA injury report for this game, meaning it’s most likely to be Maxi Kleber at the five with Kristaps Porzingis at power forward. Porzingis at the five is an important option for the Mavs, though, which will enable either Jalen Brunson or Reggie Bullock to slide into this group.

Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams are both questionable with shoulder and hip issues respectively. Onyeka Okongwu is out for the foreseeable future.

None of those three would have started, but it does weaken Atlanta’s bench considerably. They have the depth to compensate, however, with Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter and Gorgui Dieng all in line for big minutes on Thursday night.

Bucks vs Heat Projected Lineups

A heel contusion kept Jrue Holiday to just 18 minutes against the Nets on Tuesday. Bucks fans can breathe a sigh of relief – the former Pelican is listed as probable for Thursday’s game in Miami.

Milwaukee still lists Semi Ojeleye (calf), Bobby Portis (hamstring), Donte DiVincenzo (ankle), and Rodney Hood (foot) on the NBA injury report after they all missed the first game of the season. Jordan Nwora, who scored 15 against Brooklyn, is in line for significant minutes off the bench again. Mike Budenholzer may lean into some Giannis at center minutes given their frontcourt shortage and Miami’s lack of size.

Victor Oladipo (quad) is the only name on the Heat’s injury report. Oladipo is a long way from returning to competitive action. Miami’s starting lineup has been set in stone since the offseason, with Tyler Herro slotting into the role of sixth man.

Markieff Morris and Dewayne Dedmon will get minutes in the frontcourt off the bench and face the unenviable task of trying to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Clippers vs Warriors Projected Lineups

Kawhi Leonard is out for potentially the whole of the season after injuring his ACL in the playoffs. It’s unclear when Serge Ibaka will return, and Nicolas Batum (personal) has been declared out for Thursday night.

The Clippers specialized in small ball this past postseason. The Warriors are an ideal opponent to utilize similar lineups, particularly with Ivica Zubac unlikely to play more than 25 minutes. Unless Isaiah Hartenstein gets a surprisingly long run, there will be a lot of Marcus Morris at the five, just as the Warriors will run Nemanja Bjelica and Draymond Green together in the frontcourt.

Steve Kerr is waiting for Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman to return. He went deep into his bench against the Lakers, and we can expect a big role for Bjelica on Thursday after impressing in his 26 minutes on Tuesday.

Green and Andrew Wiggins were reportedly on minutes restrictions in the opener, which may continue against the Clips.