MONDAY’S 5-GAME SLATE
Updated 8:15 pm ET
UPDATE 8:20 pm ET: No Jerami Grant for the Nuggets. That should help Michael Porter Jr., Paul Millsap and maybe Keita Bates-Diop.
UPDATE 7:20 pm ET: LeBron James and Anthony Davis are in the starting lineup, as expected. Coach Frank Vogel said that he won’t mimic a playoff rotation here, but he has mentioned he wants his guys to get in rhythm. LeBron also said that he wants to get more comfortable in an empty arena. They should have a shot at minutes in the 30s.
UPDATE 7:15 pm ET: Kyle Kuzma will start for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. We kind of saw a Kuz start coming after coach Frank Vogel said he was going to make some tweaks to the rotation, and he should get some decent playing time today.
UPDATE 6:30 pm ET: T.J. Warren (foot) is playing against the Heat. *Bane voice* Let the games begin.
UPDATE 6:15 pm ET: Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic will play against the Pacers on Monday. They both went through practice on Sunday, so they should be in for somewhat normal minutes. Butler also will want to destroy T.J. Warren, so he might be very busy today.
UPDATE 6:10 pm ET: Kyle Lowry (back) is out against the Bucks. Terence Davis II, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol will get the start. TD2 should get some heavy minutes, but some of the other starters could have limitations after coach Nick Nurse said that he will mix it up with rest, limited playing time and extending rotations.
UPDATE 5:15 pm ET: Fred VanVleet (knee) and Serge Ibaka (knee) will not play against the Bucks, and Kyle Lowry is questionable. Terence Davis II should be looking at more playing time while Norman Powell, Matt Thomas and maybe Paul Watson could see more time. Davis looks like a good play, but it’ll be tough to use Chris Boucher with no Serge because Rondae Hollis-Jefferson plays next to Pascal Siakam as a commonly-used PF/C combo.
UPDATE 2:35 pm ET: The Mavs are starting J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr., Justin Jackson and Boban Marjanovic. The Jazz will start Jordan Clarkson for Donovan Mitchell.
UPDATE 2:25 pm ET: Deandre Ayton is not starting with Dario Saric in his place. Ayton reportedly missed a COVID-19 test, so he’s likely out. Take him out, and this makes Saric, Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges more attractive.
UPDATE 2:00 pm ET: Giannis Antetokounmpo (tooth) is now out for the front end of a back-to-back slate, which isn’t a big surprise despite the probable tag. With him out, there’s certainly a higher chance that the Bucks limit their other guys. Minutes wise, there should be more time for Ersan Ilyasova, Marvin Williams, Sterling Brown and Pat Connaughton.
UPDATE 2:00 pm ET: The Raptors have put questionable tags for Kyle Lowry (back), Serge Ibaka (knee) and Fred VanVleet (knee). Coach Nick Nurse made it seem like he was going to sit guys out for this one after he mentioned that he was going to see how it went on Sunday, and the starters basically played their normal minutes. There’s a good chance these guys sit. That would make Terrnce Davis II an interesting play, and maybe Norman Powell could see more usage. Nurse did say he was going to mix it up with rest, limiting players and extending rotation, so this situation is far from clear.
UPDATE 11:50 am ET: Donovan Mitchell (leg) will not play on Monday. That should give Mike Conley and Joe Ingles to run the offense, and Emmanuel Mudiay could be looking at more playing time. Jordan Clarkson would also have a much higher minutes ceiling with increased usage.
UPDATE 11:15 am ET: Big update to start the day with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder all listed as out. Chris Paul is available, but he is likely to have limited minutes. Darius Bazley should get a chance to build off his career-high Sunday while Hamidou Diallo should have a big opportunity. Mike Muscala figures to start and could get more usage.
Top Injuries to Watch
1. While they are listed as questionable, Jimmy Butler (foot) and Goran Dragic (ankle) are expected to play against the Pacers after they went through practice. Kendrick Nunn is still out, so there will still be a role for Tyler Herro. However, Jimmy Butler vs. Warren is arguably the best narrative of the bubble, so Herro isn’t nearly as attractive as he was vs. Phoenix.
2. The Pacers listed T.J. Warren (foot) as questionable for the second straight game, but he was a full go for a whopping 37 minutes on Saturday. It’s against Jimmy Butler, so he had better get out there or Butler will be trashing him for sitting.
3. The Raptors played on Sunday and they haven’t rested anyone yet, so today could be the day. Terence Davis II and Chris Boucher would be players to consider if several guys are sitting out.
4. OKC played on Sunday, and chances are Chris Paul gets the night off here. Danilo Gallinari is also a very good bet to sit. Hamidou Diallo and Darius Bazley should be looking at more time. If Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel sit again, it’ll be more Mike Muscala and Bazley with Kevin Hervey behind them. For what it’s worth, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was pulled before the other starters and he’s been really rusty, so maybe he gets more action to get into a groove. Of course, it’s still very possible he sits and anyone wanting to use him will have to make sure he’s starting.
5. The Jazz have Donovan Mitchell (leg) listed as questionable for the second straight game, but he did play and play well on Saturday. If he can’t go, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson should benefit most while there could be minutes for Miye Oni and Emmanuel Mudiay. Nigel Williams-Goss (ankle) is still out.
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo (tooth) is probable, and the Bucks have nothing to play for. This is a back-to-back set and we’ve seen the Bucks pull their guys early, so be very careful here.
Oklahoma City Thunder (B2B) vs. Phoenix Suns (B2B), 2:30 pm ET
From up top: OKC played on Sunday, and chances are Chris Paul gets the night off here. Danilo Gallinari is also a very good bet to sit. Hamidou Diallo and Darius Bazley should be looking at more time. If Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel sit again, it’ll be more Mike Muscala and Bazley with Kevin Hervey behind them. For what it’s worth, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was pulled before the other starters and he’s been really rusty, so maybe he gets more action to get into a groove. Of course, it’s still very possible he sits and anyone wanting to use him will have to make sure he’s starting.
Nothing new here for the Suns with Kelly Oubre (knee) doubtful, Elie Okobo (ankle) out, and Aron Baynes (knee) also not available. Jevon Carter is coming off a big game and could find several paths to playing time as a punt play.
Dallas Mavericks (B2B) vs. Utah Jazz, 3:00 pm ET
The Mavericks are resting guys for the first time with Luka Doncic (ankle), Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) and Kristaps Porzingis (knee) sitting out against the Jazz. Seth Curry is also probable for this one, so he should be out there with minutes in the upper 20s. Luka is leading the NBA in touch time, drives and potential assists, so obviously the offense is going to look very different even with the usage rates of Luka and KP out of there. Coach Rick Carlisle trusts Trey Burke the most, and he’ll get a revenge game here. Delon Wright should be in the mix, and J.J. Barea may see more time. Justin Jackson should get a big bump in playing time while Antonious Cleveland figures to be in the rotation. Maxi Kleber should see nice volume, and this might be a Boban Marjanovic game.
From up top: The Jazz have Donovan Mitchell (leg) listed as questionable for the second straight game, but he did play and play well on Saturday. If he can’t go, Jordan Clarkson should benefit most while there could be minutes for Miye Oni and Emmanuel Mudiay. Nigel Williams-Goss (ankle) is still out.
Toronto Raptors (B2B) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (B2B), 6:30 pm ET
From up top: The Raptors played on Sunday and they haven’t rested anyone yet, so today could be the day. Terence Davis II and Chris Boucher would be players to consider if several guys are sitting out.
From up top: Giannis Antetokounmpo (tooth) is probable, and the Bucks have nothing to play for. This is a back-to-back set and we’ve seen the Bucks pull their guys early, so be very careful here.
Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat, 8:00 pm ET
From up top: The Pacers listed T.J. Warren (foot) as questionable for the second straight game, but he was a full go for a whopping 37 minutes on Saturday. It’s against Jimmy Butler, so he had better get out there or Butler will be trashing him for sitting.
From up top: While they are listed as questionable, Jimmy Butler (foot) and Goran Dragic (ankle) are expected to play after they went through practice. Kendrick Nunn is still out, so there will still be a role for Tyler Herro. However, Jimmy Butler vs. Warren is arguably the best narrative of the bubble.
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 9:00 pm ET
As per usual, Will Barton (knee) and Gary Harris (hip) are out. Jamal Murray is not on the injury report after coach Mike Malone played Murray a whopping 39 minutes despite a 22-minute limit. Just unreal from a guy who said earlier that health was the top priority for his team. Expect some minutes for Torrey Craig and of course Michael Porter Jr. is in play.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (foot) is out for this one, so that means more minutes for Quinn Cook and/or Dion Waiters. Lots of probables here for the Lakers: Alex Caruso (neck), Anthony Davis (ankle), Danny Green (hip), Dwight Howard (knee), LeBron James (groin) and Markieff Morris (hip). Coach Frank Vogel revealed he is not going to use a playoff rotation, so be careful here. Anthony Davis also hasn’t sat yet and just hit 35 minutes in his sixth Disney game. LeBron has talked about getting more comfortable playing in an empty arena, so he might still get decent minutes (rested in a B2B game last week).
