Tuesday’s NBA preseason slate opens with Miller out for Charlotte

The NBA’s Tuesday preseason slate opens in Charlotte with a late change to the Hornets’ available group. Brandon Miller will miss the October 6 game against Brooklyn after suffering a shin contusion in practice, the team’s public relations department announced Tuesday. Rookie Christian Anderson is also out with a left ankle sprain; the team described both players as day to day.

Those absences join a previously announced preseason absence for Coby White, who has a left calf strain. Charlotte’s first exhibition will therefore offer a partial look at a roster that changed substantially over the summer.

Coach Charles Lee told WFAE that preseason games will help him learn which combinations work with his new personnel. Charlotte brought in veterans including Naz Reid, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale after moving LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, according to the NBA’s Tuesday preview. Kon Knueppel is also sidelined for the preseason, the league reported.

The night includes four games, all exhibitions. Here is the official schedule, with every time Eastern:

Oklahoma City’s opener will be played at BOK Center in Tulsa. Sports Illustrated’s Derek Parker reported that coach Mark Daigneault plans to sit eight players, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Daigneault explained that the team deliberately scheduled preseason back-to-backs and will not use every high-minute player in every game.

The Lakers arrive after Monday’s 127-103 victory over Sacramento, when Luka Dončić scored 21 points in the first half. Golden State began its exhibition schedule with a loss to the Clippers in Honolulu on Sunday.

Tuesday’s results will offer another look at the teams’ new groups, but availability and experimental combinations matter when assessing them. The regular season has not begun, and the scheduled games do not establish final starting lineups or regular-season rotations.

For viewers following Tuesday’s games, the first question is who is available. Charlotte’s injury update and Oklahoma City’s planned absences give the night a different shape from a full-strength regular-season slate.