DFS Alerts

The Hawks will stick with the same starting five for Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. There was some speculation that Kevin Huerter could enter the starting lineup for Solomon Hill but Coach McMillan has elected to stick with Hill. Huerter will most likely remain the better play of the two despite coming off the bench, he has averaged 32.5 minutes this series while Hill only saw 8 minutes last game.

Joel Embiid (knee) available to play Friday

Joel Embiid will be available Friday for Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid who was able to suit up for both Game 1 and Game 2 after missing the 76ers close out game of the previous series will once again be able to play in Game 3 despite being listed on the injury report as questionable yesterday. Embiid was able to play 38 minutes in Game 1 and 35 in Game 2 so it doesn’t look like there will be a minutes restriction for him going forward. Embiid should be considered a top-end spend up option at center as the offense should run through him, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris as the 76ers look to take a 2-1 series lead tonight.

Status Update: Joel Embiid (knee) a game-time decision Friday but likely to play

Joel Embiid is a game-time decision but expected be available Friday for Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks per Coach Doc Rivers. Doc Rivers went on to say that he expects Embiid to be listed as questionable for the rest of the series but “looks great”. Embiid who was able to suit up for both Game 1 and Game 2 after missing the 76ers close out game of the previous series will likely once again be able to play in Game 3 despite being listed on the injury report as questionable yesterday. Embiid was able to play 38 minutes in Game 1 and 35 in Game 2 so it doesn’t look like there will be a minutes restriction for him going forward. Embiid should be considered a top-end spend up option at center as the offense should run through him, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris as the 76ers look to take a 2-1 series lead tonight.

As expected, Joe Ingles will get the start for Mike Conley as he remains out. Both Ingles and Clarkson should pick up most of Conley’s vacated minutes with any leftover going to Miye Oni. Ingles and Clarksoon become much better plays with Conley out and all other Jazz starters should see a small boost.

Ivica Zubac will return to the starting lineup for the Clippers for Game 2 against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. The Clippers had been running a smaller lineup with Nicolas Batum going back to last series against the Mavericks but Coach Ty Lue has elected to go bigger after seeing success with it last game. Ty Lue also mentioned that he would like to see Demarcus Cousins and Patrick Beverly play a bigger role in this series after not playing much of a factor against the Mavs. We are expecting Zubac to return to seeing minutes in the low 20s as his average as a starter during the regular season was 22.

Bruce Brown will remain in the starting lineup Thursday as James Harden continues to be out with hamstring tightness. He saw 26 minutes in Game 2 and will likely see a similar total tonight as the Nets look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

Coach Budenholzer will stick with the same starting five Thursday despite being down 2-0 in the series. There was some speculation that there could be a shake-up to include Pat Connaughton or Bryn Forbes but ultimately Coach Budenholzer will elect to keep PJ Tucker in the starting lineup.

Mike Conley (hamstring) ruled out Thursday

Mike Conley will not be available Thursday for Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Joe Ingles will likely remain in the starting lineup with he and Jordan Clarkson continuing to pick up the majority of minutes vacated by Conley (Ingles saw 32 minutes in Game 1, and Clarkson saw 28) while Miye Oni will pick up whatever is left (8 minutes Tuesday). With Conley off the floor CourtIQ shows us that the biggest benefactors from an FPM perspective are Bojan Bogdanovic (.05) and Joe Ingles (.04) making them stronger options on today’s slate. Most of Utah’s production should continue to come from Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Bogdanovic as they look to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Lineup Update: Nuggets will start Campazzo, Rivers, Gordon, Porter Jr., Jokic on Wednesday

Status Update: Will Barton expected to play 12-18 minutes Wednesday

Michael Porter Jr. will be available Wednesday

Michael Porter Jr. Will be available Wednesday for Game 2 of the Nuggets series with the Phoenix Suns. Porter has been dealing with a back issue but will be able to suit up and should be in line to start and see his normal heavy workload. If Porter were to be limited (though there has been no indication of this) the rest of the Nuggets starters could play bigger roles. The Denver offense should continue to be run through Nikola Jokic, Porter Jr., and Gordon as the Nuggets look to even the series at 1 game apiece.

Will Barton (hamstring) will be on a "very limited minutes restriction" Wednesday

According to Coach Mike Malone, Will Barton will be on a “very limited minutes restriction” Wednesday. This will likely mean that Austin Rivers and Monte Morris should still see considerable run but Markus Howard will likely bumped out of the rotation for Barton. With the news of a minutes restriction it becomes very difficult to roster Barton tonight due to his limited upside.

Michael Porter Jr. (back) likely to play Wednesday

Michael Porter Jr. will likely be available Wednesday for Game 2 of the Nuggets series with the Phoenix Suns. Porter has been dealing with a back issue but he should be able to suit up and should be in line to start and see his normal heavy workload. If Porter were to be limited Aaron Gordon and JaMychal Green could play bigger roles. The Denver offense should continue to be run through Nikola Jokic, Porter Jr. (if available), and Gordon as the Nuggets look to even the series at 1 game apiece.

Will Barton (hamstring) will play Wednesday

Will Barton will be available Wednesday for Game 2 of the Nuggets series with the Phoenix Suns after being upgraded to doubtful last night, then further upgraded to questionable today. Barton has been out since April 23rd when he injured his hamstring, returning after such a long layoff makes it difficult to predict how much playing time Barton will see so playing him requires some risk tolerance. Barton’s availability will likely come at the expense of Austin Rivers and Monte Morris who will likely see fewer minutes, and Markus Howard who will likely lose his spot in the Nuggets rotation. The Denver offense should continue to be run through Nikola Jokic, Porter Jr., and Gordon as the Nuggets look to even the series at 1 game apiece tonight.

Status Update: Will Barton (hamstring) expected to play Wednesday

Status Update: Will Barton (hamstring) expected to play Wednesday