DFS Alerts
Jimmy Butler (ankle) ruled out Sunday; Andre Iguodala (hip) available to play
After being listed as questionable due to an ankle injury, Butler was downgraded to out and will miss the game against the Brooklyn Nets. Iguodala was upgraded from questionable with his hip injury and will play for the Heat. With no Butler and no Victor Oladipo, the Heat will need to fill both minutes and production. Tyler Herro could step in for Butler in the starting rotation, although the Heat could also elect to start Goran Dragic, or possibly Gabe Vincent to keep their bench unit intact. From a production standpoint, there are a few winners as Butler’s role is so enormous that there’s plenty of production to split up. Per CourtIQ, Bam Adebayo, Dragic, Herro, and Kendrick Nunn all see bumps of at least .06 FPM with Butler and Oladipo off the floor. Bam leads the team with a 1.33 FPM, up from his 1.24 average, and should be the hub for the offense. Dragic is at 1.03 FPM in the split, up from 0.95 average, and Herro is at 0.99 FPM, up from his 0.90 average. Bam should be the top option, while Dragic and Herro should be good plays due to their increased productivity without Butler and Herro on the court.
As reported by: the Official NBA Injury Report Other tagged players: Andre Iguodala
OG Anunoby (calf), Kyle Lowry (rest), Pascal Siakam (shoulder), Fred VanVleet (hip), and Jalen Harris (hip) ruled out Sunday; Gary Trent Jr. (ankle) not on injury report
The Raptors will continue to sit their top players, as they prepare to play the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lowry, Siakam, VanVleet, and Anunoby will all sit tonight, as well as Harris. Trent has missed the last two games due to an ankle injury, but he will be back in the rotation tonight as he is not on the injury report. We’ve seen a few changes to the Raptors as they’ve had multiple regulars sitting in the last few games. CourtIQ has limited data with all of the players off the floor, but we should have a good idea on the minutes. Malachi Flynn will start at point guard again, and should be forced to play minutes in the mid thirties. Trent missed the last two games, but averaged 35 minutes in the previous five games he played, and should play heavy minutes again. Paul Watson and Chris Boucher should play at the forward positions, while Khem Birch will start at center and split minutes with Freddie Gillepsie. The Raptors will have eleven healthy bodies, but Aron Baynes isn’t projected to play and hasn’t since Gillepsie came to the team. Flynn, Boucher, Birch, Trent, and Watson should start for the team, and are likely the best options against a Thunder team that is reeling.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Other tagged players: Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Jalen Harris, Gary Trent Jr. Jaxson Hayes (back) available to play Sunday
Hayes was listed as probable to play due to back spasms, and was upgraded to available to play against the New York Knicks. Hayes should continue his role of backup center, playing fifteen or so minutes off the bench behind Steven Adams.
As reported by: Jim Eichenhofer via Twitter Myles Turner (ankle) available Sunday; Doug McDermott (ankle) ruled out
The Pacers had two players questionable with ankle injuries, and will be getting one of them back as they play the Atlanta Hawks. Turner was cleared to play and will return after a six game absence, while McDermott was ruled out and will miss his third straight game. Turner’s start should move Edmond Sumner to the bench, as he’ll compete for minutes with Jeremy Lamb and Aaron Holiday. With no McDermott, the Pacers will need some scoring off the bench, so Lamb should be in line to play some minutes, but may lose a few. Turner’s return will likely remove Goga Bitadze from the rotation, as Turner and Domantas Sabonis will have their minutes likely staggered to have on play at center at all times. Turner hasn’t had the highest usage, but does produce more than Sumner or Justin Holiday would. The Pacers will need his size going up against the Hawks, as they have Capela and Collins both in.
As reported by: Jeremiah Johnson via Twitter Other tagged players: Doug McDermott John Collins (ankle) will play Sunday
After going through warmups, Collins was cleared to play through his ankle injury as the Hawks play the Indiana Pacers. Coach McMillan mentioned pre-game that Collins would be ono a minutes restriction. Assuming Collins does end up starting, Solomon Hill will likely move to the bench and lose the most minutes, while Nathan Knight and Onyeka Okongwu may be removed out of the rotation. Bogdan Bogdanovic is the biggest loser, as he loses a lot of usage with Collins back into the fray. Trae Young shows a slight boost down in usage also, but not enough to materially change his projection. Collins himself will likely be capped in the high twenties for minutes, making him a risky play for the day slate. The Hawks are still without Deandre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Danilo Gallinari, so the remaining Hawks who do play will still likely play heavy minutes.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Myles Turner (ankle) and Doug McDermott (ankle) both game-time decisions Sunday; JaKarr Sampson (back) available to play
Turner and McDermott have missed the last several games due to sprained ankles, but have a chance to return today against the Atlanta Hawks. Coach Bjorkgren mentioned that they would be game-time decisions, and are closer to returning, but couldn’t say definitively that they would be back. If they do return, it’s unclear if they would be any minute restrictions on them, but it’s certainly in the range of outcomes. If Turner returns, he’ll likely start at center, while Edmond Summer moves back to the bench. If McDermott plays, Jeremy Lamb would likely lose the bulk of his minutes as he’s been filling in as the high usage scorer off the bench lately. Sampson was ruled in, but likely won’t be playing, especially if Turner is in.
As reported by: Tony East via Twitter Other tagged players: Doug McDermott John Collins (ankle) a game-time decision Sunday; will be on a minutes limit if he plays
Collins has missed nine games due to an ankle injury, but is a game-time decision to play against the Indiana Pacers. Coach McMillan mentioned pre-game that if Collins plays, he’ll be on a minutes limit as he works his way back into game shape. If Collins does end up starting, Solomon Hill will likely move to the bench and lose the most minutes, while Nathan Knight and Onyeka Okongwu may be removed out of the rotation. Bogdan Bogdanovic will likely be the biggest loser, as he loses a lot of usage with Collins back into the fray. Trae Young shows a slight boost down in usage also, but not enough to materially change his projection. Collins himself will likely be capped in the high twenties for minutes, making him a risky play for the day slate. The Hawks are still without Deandre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Danilo Gallinari, so the remaining Hawks who do play will still likely play heavy minutes.
As reported by: Mike Conti via Twitter Lineup update: Spurs will start Murray, White, Samanic, Johnson, and Eubanks on Saturday
Eubanks will start for Poetl as expected, but Samanic will get a surprise start for the Spurs. Luka has started before for the spurs while not necessarily playing big minutes, but it’s certainly good news for him overall. Devin Vassell should get a slight downtick in his minutes as a result.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Other tagged players: Luka Samanic Kelly Oubre (wrist) ruled out Saturday
Oubre was ruled out due to a wrist injury and will miss his fifth straight against the Boston Celtics. Kent Bazemore will start in his place, as he has the last few games. Bazemore and Juan Toscano-Anderson should continue to benefit, while Stephen Curry and Draymond will lead the way for the Warriors. Curry averages a massive 1.81 FPM per CourtIQ with Oubre, James Wiseman, and Eric Paschall off the court, up from his average of 1.49 FPM. Draymond Green also shows a slight boost to his rates: he’s at 1.13 FPM, up from 0.99.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Sekou Doumbouya (neck) ruled out Saturday; Frank Jackson (knee) will play
This news came out after the game locked unfortunately, but Doumbouya was ruled out while Frank Jackson will play. Jackson may play a few minutes off the bench since Hayes and Dennis Smith are out, but won’t likely play too much. Doumbouya’s absence will give a few more minutes to Bey and Josh Jackson, but not too many since Sekou barely plays.
As reported by: Omari Sanfoka via Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Jackson Lineup update: Celtics will start Walker, Smart, Ojeleye, Tatum, Thompson on Saturday
The Celtics always change up their starting lineup based on coach Stevens feel, and this time they decided to start Ojeleye. He should get a few more minutes as a result, but produces at very low rates. This lineup likely boosts Tatum, Walker, and Smart even more.
As reported by: Sean Grande via Twitter Brandon Clarke (hip), De'Anthony Melton (leg), and Justise WInslow (thigh) all out Saturday
It appears that the Grizzlies will not be able to get any of their injured players back today, as they prepare to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Clarke will miss his second game with a hip injury, Melton will miss his eighth with a leg injury, and Winslow will miss his twelfth due to a thigh injury. We can use last game’s rotation to project today as they will have a similar rotation. Kyle Anderson should pick up a few more minutes at the power forward position, while Killian Tillie will stay in the rotation and play 14-16 minutes as Anderson’s backup. JoVal is the biggest winner in Clarke’s absence, as he averages 1.40 FPM with Clarke off the floor per CourtIQ, up from his average of 1.33. This makes sense, as Clarke has always been a good rebounder, and the less they share the court, the more opportunities for JoVal. Anderson will also get a boost in his rates, and will likely play more minutes, making him the biggest beneficiary of Clarke’s absence. With no Melton and Winslow, Grayson Allen should continue to start and play good minutes, while John Konchar will stay in the rotation and play low teens minutes off the bench. Coach Taylor Jenkins loves to run a ten man rotation, so we should see the same ten as last game.
As reported by: the Memphis Grizzlies via Twitter Other tagged players: De'Anthony Melton, Justise Winslow Lineup update: Coby White will remain in starting lineup Saurday; Tomas Satoransky to play off the bench
White will remain in the starting lineup, as Satoransky will come off the bench. This may be more for stylistic reasons, as without Lavine on the floor, the Bulls need more scoring, which White offers. Sato will likely get a few less minutes than had he been starting, while White has upside to get in the mid thirties as he did yesterday.
As reported by: KC Johnson via Twitter Other tagged players: Tomas Satoransky Lineup update: Kent Bazemore will start Saturday, whether or not Kelly Oubre plays
In his pregame news conference, coach Steve Kerr mentioned that he’s unsure if Kelly Oubre will play against the Boston Celtics. Kerr mentioned that regardless of Oubre’s status, Kent Bazemore would continue to start for the team. If Oubre ends up sitting, this will likely keep Bazemore as a viable value play, along with Juan Toscano-Anderson, who started to play more last game. If Oubre does play, it would be difficult to project him for his regular workload coming off the bench; he’d be unlikely to reach his usual mid thirties, while having a lower floor for minutes too. Oubre’s absence is the biggest piece of anticipated news remaining for tonight’s slate.
As reported by: Nick Friedell via Twitter Other tagged players: Kent Bazemore Jaylen Brown (illness) ruled out Saturday
After being listed as questionable earlier in the day due to an illness, Brown was downgraded to out and will miss the Celtics game against the Golden State Warriors. he Celtics remain without Robert Williams and Evan Fournier, so they could have to dig into their bench a bit more now that Brown is out. Jabari Parker recently signed with the team, and is available to make his debut, although he shouldn’t be projected for too many minutes. Romeo Langford will likely start in Brown’s place , while Payton Pritchard could pick up a few more minutes off the bench as well. Jayson Tatum is the biggest winner from a production standpoint; he averages 1.39 FPM with Brown off the court per CourtIQ, up from his average of 1.26. Kemba’s usage also goes up, as does Marcus Smart’s. With no Williams, Tristan Thompson should continue to start, while last game it was Luke Kornet who backed him up. Brown’s absence is big news for Tatum, Kemba, Smart, and likely whoever ends up starting for him.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter