LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 4 of his team's first round series against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Clippers coach Ty Lue said he doesn't know when Leonard will play again. Lue said that Leonard can't do all the movements necessary to play in games.

The Clippers star missed Game 1 of the series, as well as several late regular season contests, due to inflammation in his surgically repaired. Leonard returned to play in Games 2 and 3, but clearly wasn't himself on the floor.

The Mavericks lead the series 2-1 before hosting Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. The series will shift back to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Wednesday.

New York Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic is playing through ligament damage in his left wrist. Bogdanovic had an MRI, which confirmed the damage to his non-shooting hand/wrist. The veteran forward plans to continue to play for the remainder of the Knicks playoff run, and surgery could be an option in the offseason.

Through three games of the Knicks first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Bogdanovic has averaged 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game off New York's bench. He's shot just 7-of-24 from the floor, including just 1-of-9 on two-point shots.

The Knicks acquired Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons in a trade deadline deal. Bogdanovic averaged 10.4 points in 29 games off New York's bench following the trade.

New Charlotte Hornets president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson is building out his front office staff. One person Peterson has his eyes on New York Knicks executive Brock Aller.

Aller is currently the Knicks vice president of basketball and strategic planning. Aller was one of New York president Leon Rose's first hires when he took over the team's front office.

Aller is considered one of the best in the NBA at managing the salary cap and negotiating team-friendly contracts. It's unclear if he'll leave New York, as the Knicks are expected to do what it takes to keep Aller in the fold.

The Milwaukee Bucks face some long odds as they seek to even up their first round series against the Indiana Pacers. Not only are the Bucks on the road while trailing 2-1 in the series, but Milwaukee will also be without both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Antetokounmpo is still out as he attempts to recover from a strained calf. Lillard is out due to a strained Achilles that he re-aggravated in the Bucks Game 3 loss.

Indiana now has a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead before things shift back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison knew his team needed to add talent at the trade deadline. But Harrison didn't want to make short-term moves. He kept a long-term vision in mind when executing trades for Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington at the deadline.

"It wasn't really about winning right now," Harrison told ESPN. "It was just about continuing to build it. It's like every step is, how do we continue to get better? And we're not built for just right now; we're built for the next three playoff runs."

Harrison felt that Gafford and Washington would improve with the Dallas. Both players would have something to play for, as opposed to playing out the season on teams near the bottom of the standings. Gafford echoed his GM's thoughts.

"No disrespect to any other team that we were on, but it's just we went from playing for nothing to playing for something," Gafford said. "It's like we had to lock in a whole different way."

What happened in four snapshots in the NBA Playoffs on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood is available to play in Game 4. Wood hasn't played since February 14, due to a knee injury.

Los Angeles had hoped he might be available for Game 3, but Wood wasn't quite ready to return. The Lakers are down 3-0 against the Denver Nuggets entering Game 4 of the first round.

In his first season with Los Angeles, Wood averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. Wood mostly came off the bench, starting in just one of his 50 appearances for the Lakers.

What happened in three snapshots in the NBA Playoffs on Friday, April 26, 2024.

The Milwaukee Bucks are potentially down a second superstar, with Damian Lillard battling an Achilles strain. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers doesn't think Giannis Antetokounmpo, the first injured Bucks superstar, will be back for Game 4 either.

When asked where Antetokounmpo is at with rehabbing his strained calf, Rivers said "He’s working out tomorrow. Going to go hard, early and then we’re going to make a decision".

Rivers was asked if Antetokounmpo works out before Sunday's Game 4 if the star forward would play. Rivers didn't commit, but seemed to lean towards Antetokounmpo not playing.

"I doubt it," Rivers said. "But we’ll see."

The Indiana Pacers lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 in Indiana on Sunday. The series shifts back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Damian Lillard has suffered a strained Achilles. Lillard is in a walking boot and is doubtful for Game 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first round series against the Indiana Pacers.

Lillard has been playing through Achilles soreness for several weeks. He re-aggravated the injury in the fourth quarter of Friday's game. He finished the overtime loss but was spotted limping at several different points. Following the game, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Lillard had an Achilles injury, but he didn't know the extent at that time.

The Pacers took a 2-1 series lead with the victory on Friday night. Game 4 will be Sunday night in Indiana. The series will then shift back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Tuesday.