The NBA playoffs are less than a month abroad and both conferences feature seeding races that are sure to come up down to the wire. Several top teams are missing key players who could render in time for the playoffs and help their teams' postseason hopes.

The No. 5 Chicago Bulls and No. 6 Cleveland Cavaliers are separated past 1 game and missing Lonzo Ball and Jarrett Allen, respectively. The Cavs are just one game ahead of the Toronto Raptors and hoping to avoid the play-in tournament.

The Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks are No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10 in the Eastward, respectively, entering Thursday'due south games, all separated by i game and each missing key players. Will Ben Simmons make his Nets debut this flavor? Can Gordon Hayward return in fourth dimension and help LaMelo Ball make a playoff run?

In the W, the struggling Golden State Warriors finally got Draymond Light-green back from a 2-calendar month absence, merely to lose Stephen Curry. The Warriors are struggling to hold off the Utah Jazz, who are just three games out of the No. 3 seed. The Denver Nuggets are just a game and a half above the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed, but could get some much-needed help for Nikola Jokic in the coming weeks.

The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans are locked in a race for home-court advantage in a potential play-in game, with both teams awaiting the returns of their stars. Can Anthony Davis aid LeBron James salvage the Lakers' season? Will Zion Williamson finally make his flavor debut?

Hither'due south the latest on where injured players stand during the last week of March.

Eastern Briefing

Atlanta Hawks

John Collins

Out since March 13 with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot and a correct finger sprain

The Hawks appear on March 17 that Collins would be reevaluated in 10-14 days post-obit a nonsurgical procedure on his foot. Collins sat out vii games while nursing the foot injury before returning to the team on March 4. He played four games but clearly wasn't himself, averaging just 9.iii points on 35.nine% shooting -- down from his season averages of xvi.2 points and 52.6%. Danilo Gallinari has filled in admirably as a starter with Collins out of the lineup, but Atlanta could use Collins' scoring punch as it fights for positioning in the Eastern Conference play-in race. -- Andrew Lopez

Brooklyn Nets

Ben Simmons

Has not played since June 20

Simmons has not played this season afterward requesting a trade out of Philadelphia last summer. He was dealt to the Nets prior to last month'due south trade deadline, only even so hasn't been cleared to practice as he continues to deal with a herniated disc in his back. Information technology remains to be seen if Simmons will play this season. Nets coach Steve Nash remains optimistic, but Simmons hasn't been able to do anything on the floor in weeks. The Nets have played some of their best basketball of the flavor recently, winning six of their by seven games behind the power of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Nets players and coaches continue to say that Simmons is in good spirits. The Nets' postseason hopes would benefit from Simmons' perimeter defence and the fashion he can push the brawl offensively, but there is still no time fix for his render. -- Nick Friedell

Charlotte Hornets

Gordon Hayward

Out since Feb. 7 with a sprained left ankle

Hayward spoke to the media terminal week for the first time since February and said that the plan was to progress to contact this calendar week and "run across how it responds and kind of take it from there." Charlotte is 26-22 when Hayward plays this season and 11-14 when he doesn't. For a young, energetic team, Hayward's steadiness, precise shooting -- he's hitting 39% of his 3s -- and ability to create alongside Brawl give Charlotte a big boost. If he can return before the play-in tournament, he'll make the Hornets a far tougher team to eliminate. -- Tim Bontemps

Chicago Bulls

Lonzo Ball

Out since Jan. 14 with a left knee injury

Ball volition exist reevaluated on March 31 later the Bulls "pulled back" the rehab procedure on his genu before this week because he wasn't responding properly to the recovery program following arthroscopic knee surgery in January. Ball will be close downwardly from running until at least the end of the month, which puts a return during the regular flavor in jeopardy even if he starts to show improvement by and so. Without Ball, the Bulls have moved Alex Caruso into the starting lineup and volition count on 2d-round pick Ayo Dosunmu off the bench to go on to pick upward the slack defensively. -- Jamal Collier

Cleveland Cavaliers

Jarrett Allen

Out since March 6 with a fractured left middle finger

Allen chose not to get surgery on his injured finger and the hope is that he'll be able to return to the court for the Cavaliers before the finish of the regular season. Allen has broken out in a large way this flavor, forming one of the league's all-time interior defensive tandems alongside rookie Evan Mobley. He's helped the Cavaliers turn into one of the league'south best stories this year with their surprising bid for a playoff spot. Whether Cleveland is able to remain in the top six in the East and avoid the play-in tournament could very well come downwardly to whether Allen is able to render before the playoffs. -- Bontemps

Western Conference

Denver Nuggets

Jamal Murray

Out since Apr 12 with a torn left ACL

Murray has been working his way back and in that location is a chance he could be sent down to the K League for a block of practices, just a return this flavour is up in the air. The Nuggets are going to accept things very slow with their star guard, who will exist a twelvemonth removed from tearing his ACL when the play-in tournament begins. Nuggets double-decker Michael Malone told reporters on Sunday that Murray is "non shut" to playing in a game. Denver has nine games remaining in the regular season and the Nuggets' approach has typically been to play things safe with the health of their top players and prospects. Jokic has carried the Nuggets, who trail the Dallas Mavericks by 2 games for the fifth spot in the Due west, merely the Timberwolves are making a push for the 6th seed. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

Michael Porter Jr.

Out since Nov. 6 with a lower back injury

Porter underwent lumbar spine surgery on Dec. one and his agent, Mark Bartlestein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski in late Feb that Porter was progressing toward a possible return in March. Jokic has been sensational all season playing at an MVP level again, just Porter would exist a big boost for the Nuggets with his three-indicate shooting and rebounding. Denver is going to play information technology safe with their promising immature forward, who has undergone 3 back procedures since November 2017, his freshman year at Missouri. The Nuggets could be a title contender next season with a good for you trio of Jokic, Murray and Porter, so Denver volition go on with circumspection. -- Youngmisuk

Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry

Out since March 16 with a left foot strain

The Warriors volition be without Back-scratch for at least another week and a half equally he recovers from a sprained ligament in his left foot. They have won just one game since his injury. The Memphis Grizzlies passed the Warriors for the No. 2 seed in Green's ii-month absenteeism and now the Utah Jazz are endmost in with only three games to separate them. Tertiary-year guard Jordan Poole, who started in identify of Klay Thompson ahead of his return, finds himself in the starting lineup again with Back-scratch out. Poole has put upwardly 29, 28, 26 and thirty points in the by four games, respectively, and has scored at least xx points per game since March three. Curry, Thompson and Green have played just 11 minutes together this season and are running out of time to detect a rhythm together before the playoffs. -- Kendra Andrews

LA Clippers

Kawhi Leonard

Out since June 14 with a torn right ACL

Leonard suffered the injury in the second round of the 2021 playoffs against the Jazz and has not played since. He had surgery on July xiii, but the Clippers however practice not take a timetable for his return. The Clippers are entrenched in the 8th spot in the W and on their way to the play-in tournament. By all accounts, Leonard has been working hard and looks to be in good shape, but the Clippers will be extra cautious with their franchise star. If they brand information technology out of the play-in tournament, however, and Paul George and Norman Powell also return, Leonard would just need clearance from the medical staff to play again. And that door has been left open. -- Youngmisuk

Paul George

Out since Dec. 22 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow

George opted to let his elbow heal with rest instead of undergoing surgery to go out the door open up for a return, only no timetable has been set. Information technology could have been a death sentence for the Clippers' season when the squad appear on Christmas Day that George would be out indefinitely with Leonard also out, but Tyronn Lue and the Clippers are headed for the play-in tournament, currently eighth in the Westward. Yet, the Clippers could badly use George's law-breaking. The star guard has made progress: George has been seen shooting with his correct mitt from brusk to midrange and was cleared for minimal contact in iv-on-iv against the Clippers coaches. There are only three weeks left before the play-in tournament and the Clippers volition be cautious with George, just seeing him back on the court is a positive sign. -- Youngmisuk

Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis

Out since February. 16 with a right mid-human foot sprain

If everything continues to progress well in Davis' rehab, the All-Star big man could exist suiting up for games by the first calendar week of April, at the earliest, sources told ESPN. The Lakers accept gone 18-seven in the past two postseasons when Davis and James were in the lineup and able to terminate the game. That's the stat that keeps L.A.'due south locker room believing, despite how difficult this season has been. The Lakers struggled to adjust without him at first, going 2-9 out of the All-Star break, but started to notice a mix that works past giving more time to role players similar Stanley Johnson, Austin Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel to replicate the defensive-minded presence that Davis provides, while letting James continue to shoulder the offensive brunt. If Davis tin can become back, at that place won't be much time to ramp things upward before the play-in tournament, but if his immediate return to high-level play coming off an MCL sprain in January is any indicator, a ramp up might not be needed. -- Dave McMenamin

New Orleans Pelicans

Brandon Ingram

Out since March 8 with a strained correct hamstring

Ingram is however listed equally out, only the squad is hopeful he tin render on the upcoming three-game homestand. The Pelicans are five-17 when Ingram sits this flavor, but 3 of those wins have come in the past 5 games every bit the team has been able to lean on CJ McCollum. New Orleans has been a .500 squad with Ingram this flavor (25-25) and also a .500 mark (v-v) with McCollum and Ingram together. As the Pelicans battle the Lakers for the No. 9 spot and home court for a play-in game, a healthy Ingram volition requite New Orleans an added boost. -- Lopez

Larry Nance Jr.

Out since January. 5 with a right knee injury

Nance had surgery on February. 11 after being traded in the deal with the Portland Trail Blazers that too sent McCollum to New Orleans. He has yet to play for the Pelicans this season, simply he has been upgraded to probable and the team expects him to brand his debut Th. Nance has been shooting and jumping for a couple of weeks every bit he prepares to make his Pelicans debut. Nance could slot in at power forward next to Jonas Valanciunas or Willy Hernangomez, or play alongside Jaxson Hayes, who the Pelicans have given starting power forrad minutes to. It's not out of the question to play Nance at the minor forward spot with Hayes and Valanciunas, either. He'll requite the Pelicans another veteran presence equally they make their final button. -- Lopez

Zion Williamson

Has not played all flavor with a fractured right foot

There has been no timetable given for a return to play, if Williamson returns at all this season subsequently fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in offseason workouts. Williamson has had setbacks throughout the year and his return has been constantly delayed. He returned to New Orleans earlier this calendar month afterward spending nearly ii months rehabbing in Portland. He was seen Wednesday playing one-on-one with role player development motorbus Corey Brewer, elevating on his leap shot, going off the dribble and dunking multiple times. The Pelicans are a game behind the No. ix Lakers, fighting for home court in a potential play-in matchup. -- Lopez

Phoenix Suns

Chris Paul

Out since Feb. sixteen with a fractured right thumb

Paul fractured his thumb in the last game before the All-Star break, an injury that was expected to sideline him for six to viii weeks. He might beat that timetable in making his return. He'due south been going through shooting drills for the past ii weeks and taking other steps toward getting back in game action. The Suns, meanwhile, oasis't just survived without Paul. Phoenix has thrived since the All-Star break, going 11-4 in that span and preventing any team from remotely threatening the Suns in the fight for the NBA'south best record. Paul's absence might have fifty-fifty had a silver lining. The 36-year-onetime perennial All-Star point guard should have fresh legs for the playoffs, which the Suns will enter as title favorites. -- Tim MacMahon

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