NBA Injury News & Starting Lineups (April 18): Jimmy Butler Out, Kawhi Leonard Questionable Sunday

Below are the projected starting lineups for each team playing on Sunday's NBA slate, along with notable injury news for each squad. For real-time updates to these lineups, check out our Action Labs NBA lineups page.

NBA Injury News

2:30 p.m. ET Update: Jimmy Butler will sit Sunday with a sprained ankle. Andre Iguodala is available to play.

Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby are out for the Raptors. Gary Trent Jr. is no longer on the injury report and is a likely candidate to enter the starting lineup

The Miami Heat are hoping to have a full squad when they face the Brooklyn Nets Sunday, but Jimmy Butler and Andre Iguodala aren't certain to play.

Butler is back on the injury report with a sprained ankle, and Iguodala has a hip issue; both are questionable ahead of this afternoon's game. If Butler can't go, Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic would likely see big boosts in minutes.

Kawhi Leonard is considered questionable Sunday as he continues to deal with a sore foot that has kept him sidelined for the past four games. Luke Kennard has started with Leonard unavailable, and Paul George has posted a 39.9% usage rate and is averaging 35.5 points in the past three games.

The Portland Trail Blazers are keeping a close eye on their star Damian Lillard who will miss his second straight game on Sunday. Lillard continues to deal with hamstring tendinopathy and there has been no word on when he's expected to return.

The Toronto Raptors have apparently run afoul of the NBA's policy of reporting injuries and were fined $25K for resting players on Friday. Per our NBA Insiders tool: 

The Raptors have gone into full tank mode with the league fining them $25,000 on Saturday for failing to comply with league policies governing player rest and injury reporting. We're still waiting on official statuses on VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. (ankle), but it wouldn't be surprising at all for the team to continue to hold most of their starters out.

John Collins has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday after missing the past nine games with a sprained ankle. It's unclear if Collins will have a minutes limit upon his return but that seems likely given his extended absence. Danilo Gallinari will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday as he continues to deal with a sore foot.

On the other side of the matchup, Myles Turner is listed as questionable as he continues to deal with a sprained ankle. He's missed the past six games with the injury and it's unclear how close he is to actually returning given the team continues to list him questionable.

Be sure to check the Action Labs NBA page for real time updates.

Projected Starting Lineups

 New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks (1 p.m. ET)

Pelicans Projected Lineup

PG – Lonzo Ball
SG – Eric Bledsoe
SF – Brandon Ingram
PF – Zion Williamson
C – Steven Adams

Injury news: Jaxson Hayes (Back) is probable

Knicks Projected Lineup

PG – Elfrid Payton
SG – RJ Barrett
SF – Reggie Bullock
PF – Julius Randle
C – Nerlens Noel

Injury news: Alec Burks (COVID Protocols) is out

Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks (1 p.m. ET)

Pacers Projected Lineup

PG – Malcolm Brogdon
SG – Edmond Sumner
SF – Caris LeVert
PF – Justin Holiday
C – Domantas Sabonis

Injury news: Myles Turner (Ankle) is active; Doug McDermott (Ankle) is out

Hawks Projected Lineup

PG – Trae Young
SG – Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF – Kevin Huerter
PF – John Collins
C – Clint Capela

Injury news: John Collins (Ankle) is active

Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat (3:30 p.m. ET)

Nets Projected Lineup

PG – Kyrie Irving
SG – Joe Harris
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Jeff Green
C – DeAndre Jordan

Injury news: Nothing new

Heat Projected Lineup

PG – Goran Dragic
SG – Kendrick Nunn
SF – Duncan Robinson
PF – Trevor Ariza
C – Bam Adebayo

Injury news: ; Andre Iguodala (Hip) is active; Gabe Vincent (Knee) is probable; Victor Oladipo (Knee) and Jimmy Butler (Ankle) are out

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets (7 p.m. ET)

Trail Blazers Projected Lineup

PG – CJ McCollum
SG – Norman Powell
SF – Derrick Jones Jr.
PF – Robert Covington
C – Jusuf Nurkic

Injury news: Damian Lillard (Hamstring) is out

Hornets Projected Lineup

PG – Devonte' Graham
SG – Terry Rozier
SF – Jalen McDaniels
PF – Miles Bridges
C – PJ Washington

Injury news: Devonte' Graham (Quad) and PJ Washington (Ankle) are questionable

Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET)

Rockets Projected Lineup

PG – Kevin Porter Jr.
SG – Avery Bradley
SF – Jae'Sean Tate
PF – Kelly Olynyk
C – Christian Wood

Injury news: John Wall (Achilles) is out

Magic Projected Lineup

PG – Cole Anthony
SG – Gary Harris
SF – James Ennis
PF – Chuma Okeke
C – Wendell Carter Jr.

Injury news: Michael Carter-Williams (Ankle) and Otto Porter (Foot) are out; Mo Bamba (Hip) is questionable

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors (7 p.m. ET)

Thunder Projected Lineup

PG – Theo Maledon
SG – Lu Dort
SF – Darius Bazley
PF – Isaiah Roby
C – Moses Brown

Injury news: Mike Muscala (Ankle), Josh Hall (Knee) and Aleksej Pokusevski (Arm) are out

Raptors Projected Lineup

PG – Kyle Lowry
SG – OG Anunoby
SF – Pascal Siakam
PF – Khem Birch
C – Chris Boucher

Injury news: Fred VanVleet (Hip) and Gary Trent Jr. (Ankle) are questionable; Jalen Harris (Hip) is doubtful

Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks (7:30 p.m. ET)

Kings Projected Lineup

PG – De'Aaron Fox
SG – Buddy Hield
SF – Maurice Harkless
PF – Harrison Barnes
C – Damian Jones

Injury news: Nothing new

Mavericks Projected Lineup

PG – Luka Doncic
SG – Josh Richardson
SF – Dorian Finney-Smith
PF – Maxi Kleber
C – Kristaps Porzingis

Injury news: Nothing new

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers (10 p.m. ET)

Timberwolves Projected Lineup

PG – Ricky Rubio
SG – Anthony Edwards
SF – Josh Okogie
PF – Jaden McDaniels
C – Karl-Anthony Towns

Injury news: Jaylen Nowell (Tibia) is doubtful

Clippers Projected Lineup

PG – Reggie Jackson
SG – Paul George
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Marcus Morris
C – Ivica Zubac

Injury news: Kawhi Leonard (Foot) is questionable

Phan’s Bet to Watch

As of 11 a.m. ET, Justin Phan is seeing betting value in on game: Pelicans vs. Knicks. To get instant alerts when he sees an edge and his analysis on those picks, sign up for Action Labs.