DFS Alerts

Joel Embiid (knee) ruled out Wednesday

Embiid was diagnosed with a meniscus tear, and was downgraded from doubtful to out as the 76ers try to eliminate the Washington Wizards. Embiid suffered the injury in the first quarter of the last game, and is currently labeled day to day. This will likely lead to a start for Mike Scott at center, while Dwight Howard will help fill out the center minutes. Howard may get more minutes despite coming off the bench, although there’s a chance the game ultimately turns small if the Wizards play Hachimura at center. From a usage perspective, we’ve seen throughout the year how no Embiid leads to heavy usage for some of the other 76ers stars. Tobias Harris is the biggest winner; he averages 1.24 FPM with a team-leading 28.6% usage, up from his 1.12 FPM and 24.4% usage averages, per CourtIQ. Ben Simmons also sees a bump in usage, and should be the next best option behind Harris. The value options will be plentiful for the 76ers as well; Dwight Howard, Tyrese Maxey, and George Hill all are viable as well. The 76ers will be a great option to attack ahead of tonight’s slate with no Embiid.

Anthony Davis (groin) officially out Tuesday; Markieff Morris will start in his place

After all the pre-game back and forth, AD was ultimately ruled out against the Phoenix Suns. Markieff Morris will indeed get the start, making him a viable value play at cheap salary. Kyle Kuzma is more likely to play the closing minutes, and should still be a good play off the bench. Drummond and Gasol show the biggest bumps in CourtIQ, while LeBron, Kuzma, and Dennis Schroder all see slight bumps as well.

Anthony Davis (groin) a game-time decision Tuesday; Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee) will play

In his pre-game news conference, coach Vogel confirmed what we’ve been expecting; KCP will play, while AD is a game-time decision against the Phoenix Suns. Presumably, KCP should get his starting spot back, while AD would as well if he plays, although he’s likely closer to doubtful as reporting as indicated over the last two days. If AD does sit, it’ll likely be a start for Markieff Morris or Kyle Kuzma, with Gasol and Drummond splitting the center minutes.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee) expected to play Tuesday

KCP is expected to play through his knee injury, and should be in line to start against the Phoenix Suns. KCP is still listed as questionable and missed the last game, leading to a start for Wesley Matthews. Should KCP return, Ben McLemore will likely be out of the rotation, while Matthews will lose a big chunk of minutes. KCP is still at a cheap salary, so if he gets the start and has no minutes restriction, he should be a good value.

Kemba Walker (knee) and Robert Williams (ankle) ruled out Tuesday

As expected, Kemba and Williams were both downgraded from doubtful to out and will miss game 5 against the Brooklyn Nets. Both players will miss their second straight game; Kemba with a knee injury, while Williams with an ankle injury. At center, Tristan Thompson should remain starting at center; he played 22 minutes last game but lost some minutes due to foul trouble and the blowout. Romeo Langford started for Kemba last game, and played 29 minutes, with 16 minutes in the first half. Langford doesn’t produce great per minute, but should be in line for the minutes and may be able to pay off his salary. Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams will likely pick up more minutes as a result, and both are at cheap salaries. The Celtics offense will flow through Jayson Tatum, while Marcus Smart and Evan Fournier try to pitch in as well.

Anthony Davis (groin) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee) listed questionable Tuesday

AD and KCP were both listed as questionable as the Lakers prepare to play Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns. Davis hurt his groin during the Lakers last game, and missed the second half. KCP missed last game with a knee injury, one that he suffered during the second half of Game 3. Despite Davis being tagged as questionable, it’s likely that he’s closer to doubtful. Shams reported yesterday that Davis was unlikely to play in game 5, but there was optimism for the rest of the series as he was day to day. We can look at the second half of of the last game to see who will likely be starting should they both sit. Kyle Kuzma started when Davis went down, while Markieff Morris re-entered the rotation and played eight minutes in the second half. Both players should see an uptick in minutes should AD sit. If KCP ends up sitting, it should be another start for Wesley Matthews (who played 25 minutes), and more minutes for Ben McLemore (who played 15 off the bench). With no AD, Marc Gasol and Andre Drummond both see a boost in CourtIQ, which makes sense as AD’s rebound rate is incredibly high. Kuzma, Schroder, and LeBron all see boosts as well. KCP’s absence won’t show much in CourtIQ, but the minutes for Matthews and McLemore will make them viable salary relief plays.

Russell Westbrook will play Monday

As expected, Russell Westbrook will be available Monday for Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers after being considered a game-time decision earlier in the day. Westbrook should continue in his normal role and see his normal heavy minutes. Raul Neto and Ish Smith who could have seen extended run with Westbrook out should continue to see their normal minutes off the bench. The Wizards offense should continue to be run through Westbrook and Bradley Beal as they look to avoid getting swept and extend their season.

Russell Westbrook (ankle) is a game-time decision Monday; Ish Smith is available

Russell Westbrook is a game-time decision Monday though he is expected to play per Coach Scott Brooks and Ish Smith will be available when the Wizards take on the 76ers in Game 4 of their series. All signs point to Westbrook suiting up tonight but if he is unable to go it is likely that Ish Smith (who was just upgraded from questionable) and Raul Neto will see the bulk of his minutes with the possibility of Garrison Mathews rejoining the rotation. If Westbrook is unable to go Bradley Beal would be the focal point of the Washington offense while all other starters would see usage bumps and become much better plays due to the void that losing Westbrook would create.

Lineup Note: Daniel Gafford will start ahead of Alex Len on Monday

Daniel Gafford will get the start for the Wizards in Game 4 against the 76ers. Coach Brooks believes Gafford offers more speed at the center position for the Wizards than Alex Len and will give the Wizards a better chance in this win or go home game. Gafford should see the bulk of the center mins for the Wizards but both Len and Robin Lopez are expected to see some center minutes as well. This three-way split for center minutes make it difficult to play any of them, especially with the other options available on tonight’s slate, but Gafford is likely the best choice based on expected volume. The Wizards offense should run through Russell Westbrook (a game-time decision) and Bradley Beal as the Wizards look to extend their season tonight.

The Clippers found success last game when they ran a smaller lineup against the Mavericks and have elected to start small on Sunday. Nicolas Batum will enter the starting lineup sending Zubac to the bench and shifting Marcus Morris to the five. We expect the Clippers to run a similar rotation to what they did last game where Batum saw 27 minutes and Zubac saw 11. There has been speculation that Zubac will only come on the court to match up with Willie Cauley-Stein as Zubac has had trouble guarding the stretch bigs like Kleber and Porzingis so far this series.

Serge Ibaka listed out Sunday

Serge Ibaka will not be available for the Clippers Sunday for Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. Earlier in the season Ibaka missed two months with a back injury and it seems to be acting up again, with him out Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, and Nicolas Batum will likely absorb his minutes. This news will only lead to slight bumps for the players mentioned as Ibaka hasn’t seen much playing time so far this series (13 minutes Game 1, 6 minutes Game 2) and the Clippers found success last game running with a smaller lineup. The Clippers offense should continue to be run primarily through Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber available to play Sunday

Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber will be available Sunday for the Mavericks as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of their series. Despite being listed as questionable last night Luka will suit up tonight and will likely start and play his normal heavy minutes. If he were to be limited in any way (though there has been no mention of a minutes restriction) the other Mavericks starters along with Jalen Brunson would likely see the biggest benefit as they would see more usage and opportunities. Maxi Kleber who was probable will also be available and should start and see his normal workload. The Dallas offense will continue to be run through Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Tim Hardaway Jr. as the Mavericks look to bounce back from their Game 3 loss and try to take a 3-1 series lead.

An earlier report by YES Network and circulated by other media personnel listed Bruce Brown starting over Joe Harris, this was corrected a few minutes later. Harris will be starting for the Nets in Game 4, Brown will be available off the bench and both should see their normal run.

Lineup Update: Celtics will start Smart, Langford, Fournier, Tatum, Thompson on Sunday

Lineup Note: Romeo Langford will start for Kemba Walker on Sunday

Romeo Langford will get the start for Kemba Walker on Sunday and will likely play a few more minutes while Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith will also likely see a bump in minutes off the bench with Walker unavailable.