NBA Injury News & Starting Lineups (May 28): Serge Ibaka Out, Nerlens Noel Active vs. Hawks Friday

Below are the projected starting lineups for each team playing on Friday'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

6 p.m. ET Update: Serge Ibaka is expected to miss Game 3 on Friday due to a lingering back issue that forced him to miss two months of the season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Kemba Walker will play despite previously being considered questionable with a knee medial bone bruise.

Nerlens Noel is probable to play Friday as he continues to deal with an ankle sprain. He played through the injury on Wednesday but seemed to be clearly limited by it, playing just 16.6 minutes.

Kemba Walker has been added to the injury report and is questionable for Game 3 on Friday with a knee medial bone bruise. It's unclear when he suffered the injury, but this is obviously a big concern with the Celtics already down Jaylen Brown. There's a good chance Walker won't be 100% even if he's cleared to play, and it's possible he'll be under some sort of minutes limit. 

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said Tatum went through a full practice Thursday and will play Friday. Tatum didn't return to Tuesday's blowout loss after getting accidentally poked in the eye by Kevin Durant in the second half. 

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said Jeff Green has been diagnosed with a strained plantar fascia and will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Nash added that Nicolas Claxton "will probably play more" in Green's absence. 

Serge Ibaka has been downgraded to questionable heading into Game 3 due to back spasms. Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said Ibaka didn't play in the second half of Game 2 because he decided to downsize, but Ibaka was limited to six minutes and may have been hindered by back issues. Ibaka was sidelined for two months due to a tight lower back, and it appears that malady has lingered. 

The Dallas Mavericks continue to list Maxi Kleber as questionable as he deals with a sore Achilles. He was listed questionable heading into Games 1 and 2 and played 36 and 34 minutes, respectively, without issue. 

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

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Projected Starting Lineups

New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET)

Knicks Projected Lineup

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

Injury news: Nerlens Noel (ankle) is probable

Hawks Projected Lineup

PG – Trae Young
SG – Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF – De'Andre Hunter
PF – John Collins
C – Clint Capela

Injury news: Nothing new

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics (8:30 p.m. ET)

Nets Projected Lineup

PG – James Harden
SG – Kyrie Irving
SF – Joe Harris
PF – Kevin Durant
C – Blake Griffin

Injury news: Jeff Green (Foot) is injured

Celtics Projected Lineup

PG – Kemba Walker
SG – Marcus Smart
SF – Evan Fournier
PF – Jayson Tatum
C – Tristan Thompson

Injury news: Kemba Walker (Knee) is active

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks (9:30 p.m. ET)

Clippers Projected Lineup

PG – Patrick Beverley
SG – Paul George
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Marcus Morris
C – Ivica Zubac

Injury news: Serge Ibaka (Back) is doubtful

Mavericks Projected Lineup

PG – Luka Doncic
SG – Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF – Dorian Finney-Smith
PF – Maxi Kleber
C – Kristaps Porzingis

Injury news: Maxi Kleber (Achilles) is questionable

Phan’s Bet to Watch

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