THURSDAY’S 6-GAME SLATE
Updated 7:00 pm ET
UPDATE 7:15 pm ET: Russell Westbrook is out, as expected. Austin Rivers and Ben McLemore will benefit the most, and there could be more minutes for Jeff Green or maybe even DeMarre Carroll.
UPDATE 7:00: Jamal Murray (hamstring) is confirmed out and the Nuggets won’t have Troy Daniels (hip) either. Monte Morris and P.J. Dozier are going to be busy here with 14 minutes next to each other on Wednesday. Monte should be in the mid-30s with Dozier in the lower 20s.
UPDATE 5:10 pm ET: Seth Curry is out as expected, and Chris Haynes of Yahoo! reports that Boban Marjanovic will start. Boban should be looking at minutes in the teens and could be an option if you aren’t feeling Mason Plumlee.
UPDATE 3:20 pm ET: The Nuggets have their injury report out, and the big surprise is no Paul Millsap with Troy Daniels (hip) being questionable, as well. Everything else is status quo with Jamal Murray (hamstring) questionable, Gary Harris (hip) out, and Will Barton (knee) out. Michael Porter Jr. could be busy while this also really helps Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee and P.J. Dozier.
UPDATE 2:25 pm ET: Goran Dragic is out, as expected. Kendrick Nunn will be busy while there should be more ball-handling chances for Tyler Herro. Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk will also have to produce more offense and Jae Crowder should see a small boast.
UPDATE 2:30 pm ET: Malcolm Brogdon is in for today, as expected. This will drop the upside on Aaron Holiday and Victor Oladipo, and Brogdon could be a sneaky GPP option as the main ball-handler.
UPDATE 1:45 PM ET: Big update from the Lakers with LeBron James (groin) out for Thursday. Alex Caruso (neck) is also questionable while the Lakers listed these guys as probable: Anthony Davis (ankle), Markieff Morris (hip), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ribs) and Dwight Howard (knee). The easy part of this is that you’re going to want Kyle Kuzma and AD in your lineups even with AD getting a new injury on this report (he was listed with an eye issue previously). Dion Waiters should see more usage and more on-ball action. Quinn Cook would likely back up Caruso, assuming he’s a go.
UPDATE 1:23 PM ET: Russell Westbrook is listed as questionable, but ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said he is closer to doubtful. That should put Ben McLemore in the first unit with more playing time for Austin Rivers, Jeff Green and maybe either Chris Clemons or DeMarre Carroll.
Top Injuries to Watch
1. Miami had been one of the deepest teams in the league, but they’re going to miss their first-unit alpha in Jimmy Butler (foot) and likely may not have their second-unit primary ball-handler in Goran Dragic (ankle), who is listed as questionable. On Tuesday, it was Kelly Olynyk getting the start, and that would make sense against the Bucks to get some extra size and some floor-spacing. To replace Dragic, it would likely be Tyler Herro after coach Erik Spoelstra really leaned on him as a ball-handler in the scrimmages before the shutdown. Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Kendrick Nunn would also benefit here. Olynyk should offer enough upside with minutes in the 20s and the same for Herro.
2. The Rockets are not on a back-to-back set, but Russell Westbrook (quad contusion) is questionable. You’re probably going to want to play Harden regardless, but Ben McLemore would likely start with Austin Rivers as the backup PG if Westbrook sits. Jeff Green is also getting more overlap with P.J. Tucker in the last two games.
3. Malcolm Brogdon (neck) is back on the injury report after playing both games in the back-to-back set on Monday and Tuesday. This is the same injury he suffered in the last scrimmage and he couldn’t turn his neck on Saturday, so hopefully he didn’t aggravate it. Still, he is probably out there, but if not you’ll be looking at Aaron Holiday, T.J. McConnell or Justin Holiday. Aaron Holiday would be the most attractive by far.
4. Seth Curry (leg) is doubtful again. On Tuesday, J.J. Barea was suddenly in the starting lineup after it was expected to be Trey Burke. In this matchup, you’d think the Mavs would have to go bigger against the Clippers. The first-half rotation was a total disaster for Dallas, so from a DFS standpoint, you’d have to be a bold one to try to maximize opportunity here other than maybe prioritizing Tim Hardaway Jr. or Dorian Finney-Smith. Maybe Delon Wright gets a chance against Paul George, but he hasn’t started next to Luka since January. Justin Jackson makes some sense, or it could be Maxi Kleber.
New Orleans Pelicans (B2B) vs. Sacramento Kings (B2B), 1:30 PM ET
Both these teams play on Friday, but the only player on their injury report is Marvin Bagley (foot). Zion Williamson should get in minutes in the mid-to-upper 20s and is finally an option.
Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 4:00 PM ET
From up top: Miami had been one of the deepest teams in the league, but they’re going to miss their first-unit alpha in Jimmy Butler (foot) and likely may not have their second-unit primary ball-handler in Goran Dragic (ankle), who is listed as questionable. On Tuesday, it was Kelly Olynyk getting the start, and that would make sense against the Bucks to get some extra size and some floor-spacing. To replace Dragic, it would likely be Tyler Herro after coach Erik Spoelstra really leaned on him as a ball-handler in the scrimmages before the shutdown. Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Kendrick Nunn would also benefit here.
The Bucks have no players on their injury report, but they didn’t list Brook Lopez until after the starting lineups were announced. Be careful.
Indiana Pacers vs. Phoenix Suns, 4:00 PM ET
From up top: Malcolm Brogdon (neck) is back on the injury report after playing both games in the back-to-back set on Monday and Tuesday. This is the same injury he suffered in the last scrimmage and he couldn’t turn his neck on Saturday, so hopefully he didn’t aggravate it. Still, he is probably out there, but if not you’ll be looking at Aaron Holiday, T.J. McConnell or Aaron Holiday.
Goga Bitadze (knee) is questionable and is getting closer. If he’s a go, JaKarr Sampson would likely lose his minutes and split the PF2 and C2 with Doug McDermott and Goga. The Pacers could just hold him.
The Suns won’t have Aron Baynes (knee) and Elie Okobo (ankle), and they likely won’t have Kelly Oubre (knee). Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges are locked in for minutes.
LA Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks, 6:30 PM ET
The Clippers won’t have Montrezl Harrell (personal) again, and Ivica Zubac is coming off his best game in the bubble. Patrick Beverley (calf) is out again, so it might be Reggie Jackson starting again with Lou Williams possibly not up to speed. It’ll be really tough to count on Reggie.
From up top: Seth Curry (leg) is doubtful again. On Tuesday, J.J. Barea was suddenly in the starting lineup after it was expected to be Trey Burke. In this matchup, you’d think the Mavs would have to go bigger. The first-half rotation was a total disaster for Dallas, so from a DFS standpoint, you’d have to be a bold one to try to maximize opportunity here. Maybe Delon Wright gets a chance against Paul George, but he hasn’t started next to Luka since January. Justin Jackson makes some sense, or it could be Maxi Kleber.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets (B2B), 8:00 PM ET
We won’t get the Nuggets injury report, but presumably Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee) are out. Jamal Murray (hamstring) will likely be questionable again, too. Monte Morris was very good and P.J. Dozier got 13 minutes of overlap with ‘Te. Oh yeah, and Michael Porter Jr. looks to have coach Mike Malone’s trust and gets one of the worst defensive lineups in the bubble. Click.
The Blazers have no players on their injury report.
Los Angeles Lakers (B2B) vs. Houston Rockets, 9:00 PM ET
The Lakers played on Wednesday night, so there could be rest here. Dwight Howard (knee) did not play, so he could miss another one. Markieff Morris and J.R. Smith stepped up for more minutes on Wednesday.
The Rockets are not on a back-to-back set, but Russell Westbrook (quad contusion) is questionable. You’re probably going to want to play Harden regardless, but Ben McLemore would likely start with Austin Rivers as the backup PG if Westbrook sits. Jeff Green is also getting more overlap with P.J. Tucker in the last two games.
