DFS Alerts

Status update: Lou Williams available to play Thursday

Williams will be available to make his Hawks debut Thursday, as the Hawks take on the San Antonio Spurs. It’s unclear how many minutes Lou will get in his debut, but he’ll come off the bench and will likely come in when Trae Young needs a breather. This should take away a few minutes from Kevin Huerter, and keep Skylar Mays out of the rotation.

Paul George (foot) now listed questionable Thursday

Despite being ruled out earlier in the day due to a foot injury, Paul George was surprisingly upgraded to questionable as the Clippers face off against the Denver Nuggets. Marcus Morris remains questionable with a calf contusion. George has missed the last two games with this injury; if he were to play, Luke Kennard would likely move to the bench, while all the Clippers regular rotation players would take big bumps down, particular Kawhi Leonard who looked to be a stellar play before the upgrade. Kennard, Terrence Mann, and Nicolas Batum would also love value, especially if Morris is ruled in.

De'Andre Hunter (knee) out Thursday

After being listed questionable earlier in the day due to a knee injury, De’Andre Hunter was downgraded to out and won’t be available to play against the San Antonio Spurs. With John Collins out for at least a week, Hunter’s absence looms large as the Hawks will be shorthanded in the frontcourt. In the Hawks last game, Solomon Hill started at the power forward in the second half without Collins and Hunter, and should get the start again. Danilo Gallinari is another candidate to start, as he is able to play at power forward as well. With Hunter, Collins, and Cam Reddish off the floor, Trae Young averages a whopping 1.54 FPM in a 202 minutes sample per CourtIQ, up from his usual 1.26 average. Clint Capela also should benefit, as without Collins on the floor Capela should be able to increase his rebounding percentage. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Gallinari should also see a few more minutes and be good plays.

Brandon Ingram (toe) ruled out Thursday

As expected, Ingram was downgraded from doubtful to out and will miss his first game of the year against the Orlando Magic with . Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson were ruled out earlier in the day, and the Pelicans will be severely shorthanded. Coach Stan Van Gundy said he knows his starting lineup, but hasn’t revealed it yet. Three of the five spots should be known: Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker should start at the guard spots, while Steven Adams should start at center. The two forward spots are the biggest question; Josh Hart should start at small forward, while power forward could be either James Johnson or Wes Iwundu. Whoever starts at that position should be in line for big minutes; as both are priced at minimum salary across the industry, either would be a great play if they got the start.

Lineup update: Pistons will start Lee, Jackson, Grant, Bey, and Plumlee Thursday

Kendrick Nunn (ankle) available to play Thursday

Nunn will play through an ankle injury and join the Heat as they face off against the Golden State Warriors. With Goran Dragic out, Nunn will likely come off the bench as Victor Oladipo should take his spot in the starting lineup as he looks to make his team debut. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should still run the show for the Heat, but Nunn may play a few minutes off the bench.

Lineup update: Magic will start Randle, Bacon, Ennis, Okeke, and Birch on Thursday

Dennis Smith Jr. (spine), Wayne Ellington (calf), and Sekou Doumbouya (migraine) available to play Thursday

The Pistons will have an extremely crowded backcourt tonight as they take on the Washington Wizards. DSJ was upgraded from questionable to available with a spine injury, while Ellington was upgraded from questionable to available despite a calf injury. Doumbouya was also upgraded from probable due to a migraine, although he likely won’t enter the rotation. Although Hamidou Diallo will miss the game, the Pistons will have Saben Lee, Cory Joseph, Frank Jackson, and Josh Jackson along with DSJ and Ellington to play the backcourt minutes. Outside of Saddiq Bey and Jerami Grant, the Pistons team is somewhat of a crapshoot as they have too many bodies and have not shied away from playing 10-11 players.

Status update: Kendrick Nunn (ankle) likely to play Thursday

Nunn looks to be on track to play through an ankle injury and face off against the Golden State Warriors. With Dragic out, Nunn will likely come off the bench as Victor Oladipo should take his spot in the starting lineup as he looks to make his team debut. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should still run the show for the Heat, but Nunn may play a few minutes off the bench.

Bradley Beal (hip) ruled out Thursday; Raul Neto (rib) available to play

Beal was downgraded from questionable to out, and will miss his third straight game against the Detroit Pistons. Neto was upgraded to available and will play through a rib injury. Jerome Robinson will start in place of Beal; he played 36 minutes last game, but that was without Neto active. Now that Neto is available, Robinson and Chandler Hutchinson should play a few less minutes. With Beal off the floor, Westbrook averages 1.60 FPM per CourtIQ and is one of the top plays on the slate. Rui Hachimura also should benefit, as he averages 0.96 FPM, up from his 0.80 average.

Malik Monk (foot) available to play Thursday

After being listed as probable earlier in the day due to foot soreness, Monk was upgraded to available to play and will make his return from missing two games as the Hornets take on the Brooklyn Nets. Monk had been listed probable before getting ruled the last few games, so it’s good to see the probable designation held true today. Monk should return to play off the bench and take some minutes away from Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward, who had been playing in the upper 30’s the last two games. Caleb Martin will also likely be removed from the rotation, as coach Borrego prefers to keep his rotation tight.

Lineup update: Cavs will start Garland, Sexton, Okoro, Wade, and Love on Thursday

Status update: Landry Shamet won't have a minutes restriction Thursday

Coach Steve Nash mentioned that he doesn’t expect Shamet to have a minutes restriction as the Nets take on the Charlotte Hornets. With James Harden out, Shamet may play a few more minutes than he would otherwise as the Nets need some wings. He likely won’t play too many minutes, but it’s good to see he won’t have any specified restriction.

Status update: Bradley Beal (hip) and Raul Neto (rib) both game-time decisions Thursday

Coach Scott Brooks mentioned pre-game that both Beal and Neto will be game-time decisions ahead of the Wizards game against the Detroit Pistons. If Beal were to sit, Jerome Robinson would take his place and would be in line for heavy minutes as he has had the last two games. Russell Westbrook would be an elite play again, as his splits with Beal off the floor would make him one of the top plays of the entire slate. Neto’s absence would be pretty big as well, as Robinson and Chandler Hutchinson would pick up a few more minutes if Neto were to sit.

Michael Carter-Williams (illness) listed out Thursday

Despite not being listed on the injury report earlier in the day, Carter-Williams was listed as out due to a non-COVID illness and will miss the Magic’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. With Karim Mane ruled out earlier in the day due to a hamstring injury, Chasson Randle looks to be the only true point guard on the team and should get the start. Dwayne Bacon and Terrence Ross will also help handle the ball when Randle is on the bench. R.J. Hampton should also get more minutes, but overall the Magic will still likely play 10 players, and other than Randle, nobody should get a major boost up in minutes.