DFS Alerts
Dennis Schroder (foot) will start Thurssday
Despite Frank Vogel’s pregame comments saying Schroder was unlikely to play, Schroder will end up starting and playing against the Boston Celtics. With no Drummond, Morris, AD, and Lebron, Schroder will end up being a good play if he has no minutes restrictions. He averages 1.02 FPM per CourtIQ with those four off the floor, up from his average of 0.91. Caruso will now move to the bench, as will Talen Horton-Tucker in favor of Wesley Matthews. Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Schroder are likely to be the best plays for the Lakers.
As reported by: Mike Trudell via Twitter
Lineup update: Tristan Thompson will start for Robert Williams Thursday
As expected, Thompson will get the start for Williams. He should be a good play as he’s needed to matchup with the Lakers bigger frontcourt, and should be in line for 25-32 minutes.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Andre Drummond (toe) and Markieff Morris (ankle) ruled out Thursday; Dennis Schroder (foot) now questionable but "unlikely to play"; Kyle Kuzma (calf), Marc Gasol (hamstring), and Wes Matthews (Achilles) all cleared to play
The Lakers had what seemed to be a nondescript injury report entering their matchup against the Celtics, but coach Vogel’s pregame session was a huge shakeup to the team. Despite a probable tag earlier in the day, Drummond was ruled out due to a bruised toe. Morris was listed as questionable, but was downgraded to out due to his ankle injury. Schroder was listed as probable earlier in the day, but is now questionable due to a foot infection that Vogel said it’s “unlikely” he can play through. Kuzma, Matthews, and Gasol were all upgraded to available to play. The Lakers will be severely shorthanded taking on the Celtics, as they’re still without Anthony Davis and Lebron James. Alex Caruso should get the start at point guard, Talen Horton-Tucker should get the start in place of Morris, and Gasol should get the start in place of Drummond. Gasol may not play as many minutes with Montrezl Harrell backing him up, but Caruso and THT will likely have to play big minutes. Kyle Kuzma will also have to play big minutes, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wesley Matthews doing the same for the wing positions. There’s actually some CourtIQ data with the injured players off. With no Lebron, AD, Drummond, Morris, or Schroder on the floor, Harrell leads the team with a 1.22 FPM, up from his 1.14 average. Caruso and THT are the other big winners. Kuzma shows a worse FPM in a 161 minutes sample, but has increased usage, so this looks to be a case we can capitalize on. The Lakers may struggle to put up points, especially if Schroder ends up sitting as expected, but there will be value to be had for sure, as Harrell, Caruso, THT, and Kuzma take advantage of the Lakers injuries.
As reported by: Mike Trudell via Twitter Other tagged players: Markieff Morris, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews Lineup update: Bucks will start Holiday, Forbes, Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Lopez on Thursday
Giannis is back in the lineup as expected, but Forbes making the starting lineup is a bit of a surprise, as Pat Connaughton was expected to start. Forbes may get a few more minutes as a result, but is not a good per minute player and will be the fifth option in the starting lineup.
As reported by: Eric Nehm via Twitter Trae Young (calf) available Thursday
After missing the last two games with a calf injury, Trae was upgraded from questionable to available and will play against the Milwaukee Bucks. With Trae back in, Brandon Goodwin will move to the bench and possibly out of the rotation. Bogdan Bogdanovic has been dominating the usage when Trae was out, but now will take a step back. He may play heavy minutes still, but won’t put up the same stats. Kevin Huerter and Lou Williams will both lose some minutes as well. Trae averages 1.28 FPM in a 154 minute sample per CourtIQ with all the injured Hawks off the floor, but has a whopping 36% usage and a 41% assist percentage. Him and Clint Capela will be the top plays for the Hawks.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Collin Sexton (groin) will play Wednesday
After missing the front half of a back to back with a groin injury, Sexton was upgraded from questionable to available and will join the Cavs as they face off against the Golden State Warriors. Sexton missed the last two games with the groin injury, but is back today. Dean Wade will likely move to the bench, as the Cavs don’t need to play as large as they have been the last few games. With Sexton back, Matthew Dellavedova will lose a huge chunk of minutes as now he’ll backup both Sexton and Darius Garland. With Sexton and his 28.2% usage (per CourtIQ), everyone else around the team will have less shots to take, especially now that Kevin Love is back. The Cavs will likely be run their starting lineup for heavy minutes, and Larry Nance Jr., Wade, and Taurean Prince will chip in with some minutes as the Cavs look to make their unlikely playoff push.
As reported by: Marla Ridenour via Twitter Robert Williams (knee) ruled out Thursday
Williams was questionable with a knee injury, but was downgraded to out as the Celtics prepare to play the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have one of the bigger frontcourts in the league, so not having Williams is a big blow. Tristan Thompson is the biggest winner, as he should start at center and will likely play big minutes. Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye would also get some more run as a small ball center, while Moritz Wagner and Tacko Fall could re-enter the rotation and play spot minutes off the bench. With Williams off the floor, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum show slight boosts in CourtIQ; Brown averages 1.27 FPM in CourtIQ with Williams and the traded Daniel Theis off the court, up from 1.18. Tatum averages 1.33 FPM, up from 1.26. This makes sense as Williams would be replaced by a lower usage player, and also would allow Tatum and Brown to grab a few more rebounds. Thompson is certainly the biggest benefactor by far though, as he will be forced into likely 30 minutes against the big Lakers frontcourt.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) will play Thursday; Donte DiVicenzo (toe) ruled out
Coach Bud mentioned that Giannis was getting closer yesterday, and he’s finally available to return from a six game absence with a knee injury, as the Bucks will play the Atlanta Hawks. DiVicenzo was ruled out due to a toe injury and will miss the game. Now that Giannis is in, he’ll be the top option for the team and will put a big dent of the values of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, along with Bobby Portis and Pat Connaugthon. Holiday and Middleton have had their prices rise across the industry as they played more games without Giannis, so they will be the biggest loser. As for DiVincenzo, he plays anywhere from 28-32 minutes in competitive games, and those should be filled by Connaughton, along with Brynn Forbes and Jordan Nwora. Middleton and Holiday show slight bumps with DiVincenzo off the floor, but with Giannis back, it will be tough to pay up for them. There’s been no minutes limit disclosed for Giannis, and he should be the top option on his team and one of the best on the slate.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Donte DiVincenzo Danilo Gallinari (foot) ruled out Thursday; Trae Young (calf) a game-time decision
Gallinari was listed as questionable due to a foot injury, and was ultimately downgraded to out and will miss his the game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Young will be a game-time decision for the second straight game due to a calf injury, so we will need to see how he does during warmups and hope he improved compared to la. With Gallo out again, the Hawks will have a few different outlets to fill his minutes. Solomon Hill will likely have to play heavy minutes again; he’s averaged 34 minutes the last two games, but usually doesn’t produce at high rates. Nathan Knight will also likely stay in the rotation as he played 18 minutes off the bench last game. From a production point, Bogdan Bogdanovic is the biggest winner; he averages 1.06 FPM, up from his 0.94 average per CourtIQ. If Trae ends up playing, he’ll likely dominate usage. If he sits, Brandon Goodwin, Skylar Mays, and Lou Williams will all get some more minutes, especially Goodwin who has played 37 minutes in each of the games Trae missed. Young’s injury is a giant one to watch ahead of this four game slate.
As reported by: Chris Kirschner via Twitter Other tagged players: Trae Young Robert Williams (knee) questionable Thursday
Williams was a late add to the injury report, and is questionable with a knee injury as the Celtics prepare to play the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have one of the bigger frontcourts in the league, so not having Williams would be a big blow. If he does sit, Tristan Thompson would be the biggest winner, as he would start at center and would have to play pretty big minutes. Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye would also get some more run as a small ball center, while Tacko Fall could re-enter the rotation and play spot minutes off the bench. With Williams off the floor, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum show slight boosts in CourtIQ; Brown averages 1.27 FPM in CourtIQ with Williams and the traded Daniel Theis off the court, up from 1.18. Tatum averages 1.33 FPM, up from 1.26. This makes sense as Williams would be replaced by a lower usage player, and also would allow Tatum and Brown to grab a few more rebounds.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Kelly Oubre (wrist) officially out Thursday
Coach Kerr mentioned Oubre was likely to sit, and was ruled out as the Warriors take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kent Bazemore should get the start in place of Oubre like he did the last three games. Bazemore averaged 34 minutes the first two games Oubre missed, but only played 21 last game due to a blowout. He should be in line for 28-32 minutes. Juan Toscano-Anderson re-entered the rotation in Oubre’s absence, and should have to play around 20-22 minutes again. From a production standpoint, Curry is a big winner; he 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. Steph and Draymond both had huge games yesterday, and will look to continue their great play against the Cavs.
As reported by: the Official NBA Injury Report Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (toe) listed questionable Thursday
On the second half of a back-to-back, there’s a chance yet again that Giannis returns as the Bucks prepare to play the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis was listed as questionable to return from the knee injury that’s caused him to miss the last six games, while DiVincenzo is questionable with a toe injury that he must have suffered in yesterday’s game. If Giannis were to play, he’d be the top option for the team and would put a big dent of the values of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, along with Bobby Portis and Pat Connaugthon. DiVincenzo plays anywhere from 28-32 minutes in competitive games, and those would mostly filled by Connaughton, along with Brynn Forbes and Jordan Nwora. Middleton and Holiday show slight bumps with DiVincenzo off the floor, but nowhere near to the extent if Giannis ends up sitting. Fortunately, the Bucks game is the first one on the slate, so we should get the news relatively soon on the Bucks injuries and if the MVP will return.
As reported by: the Official NBA Injury Report Other tagged players: Donte DiVincenzo Collin Sexton (groin) listed questionable Thursday
After missing the front half of a back to back, Sexton is questionable to play in the second half with a groin injury as the Cavs prepare to play the Golden State Warriors. Sexton missed the last two games with the groin injury, but hopes to come back today. If he sits, Dean Wade will likely stay in the starting lineup, as the Cavs play bigger with Darius Garland at the point and Isaac Okoro at the wing. If Sexton does end up sitting, Garland, Okoro and Jarrett Allen all show bumps in CourtIQ. A majority of that data is with Kevin Love off the floor, so now that he is back, he has been soaking up some usage. The biggest winner if Sexton sits will be Garland for sure; he played 36 minutes yesterday and should play a similar role in a pace-up matchup against the Warriors.
As reported by: the Cleveland Cavaliers via Twitter Lineup update: Monte Morris will start in place of Jamal Murray Wednesday
Morris will get the start in place of Jamal Murray. Morris is still on a minutes restriction, but will likely be able to play minutes in the high 20s-low 30s.
As reported by: Mike Singer via Twitter Buddy Hield (illness) available to play Wednesday
As expected, Hield will be available to play through his illness and will start against the Washington Wizards. Hield doesn’t appear to be on a minutes restriction, and will be in line to produce in the best matchup on the slate.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter