DFS Alerts
Collin Sexton (ankle) ruled out Saturday
Sexton has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Cleveland will also still be without Darius Garland and Dante Exum because of their respective ailments, so with Sexton unable to suit up once again, they will be scarcely thin at the guard positions and it would likely allow Lamar Stevens to remain in the rotation behind Damyean Dotson, who will start as the de facto point guard in tonight’s contest. It’s also possible that Cedi Osman continues to take over more of the playmaking responsibilities with the dearth of initiators left on the Cavaliers’ active roster.
As reported by: Spencer Davies via Twitter
Giannis Antetokiunmpo (back) ruled out Saturday
Antetokounmpo was included on the Bucks’ initial injury report as questionable, and head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed with reporters that he won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to back spasms stemming from a hard fall in Friday’s loss. Budenholzer didn’t announce Antetokounmpo’s replacement in the starting lineup, but Thanasis Antetokounmpo or Bobby Portis appear to be the likeliest candidates and Portis figures to benefit regardless if he starts or comes off the bench. Pat Connaughton was also removed from the injury report and will likely see increased run with the Milwaukee second unit.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Bradley Beal (COVID protocols) ruled out Saturday
Despite originally being announced in the Wizards’ starting lineup, Beal has officially been ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat as he’s entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols related to COVID-19 via contracting and may be required to self-isolate for a period of time. With Russell Westbrook being held out on the second leg of a back-to-back set, Raul Neto will step into the starting lineup at point guard once again but this time alongside Jerome Robinson, who has had sporadic playing time and hasn’t yet eclipsed the 23-minute mark in a game this season. Additionally, Troy Brown Jr. may be able to finally see some playing time with the second unit after being a DNP-CD in three straight contests, though Ish Smith will still handle the backup point guard duties and see significant playing time.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter T.J. McConnell (personal) ruled out Saturday; Doug McDermott (ankle) available to play
McConnell is a late addition to the Pacers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns as he is currently away from the team tending to a personal matter, while McDermott will be available to play following his earlier questionable designation. In McConnell’s absence, Aaron Holiday will likely see a slight uptick in playing time, but head coach Nate Bjorkgren has been hesitant to give him extensive run alongside Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo, which may lead to Edmond Sumner stepping into the rotation to absorb at least a nominal share of the available bench minutes this evening.
As reported by: Jeremiah Johnson via Twitter Other tagged players: Doug McDermott Russell Westbrook (quad) officially out Saturday
Westbrook has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat as the team attempts to manage his sore left quad on the second game of a back-to-back situation. Westbrook ended up logging 33 minutes in Friday’s loss, and he has yet to play in both games of a back-to-back set following head coach Scott Brooks’ claims in the preseason that the team plans to rest him on one side of the back-to-back all season. With Westbrook being held out, Raul Neto will step into the starting lineup once again, and Troy Brown Jr. may be able to finally see some playing time with the second unit after being a DNP-CD in three straight contests, though Ish Smith will still handle the backup point guard duties and see significant playing time.
As reported by: Fred Katz via Twitter Evan Fournier (back) ruled out Saturday
Fournier has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to back spasms that have now forced him to miss five consecutive games. With Aaron Gordon slated to return from a one-game absence, James Ennis will likely head back to the bench to assume a reserve role, while Gary Clark should remain in the starting lineup at power forward for a minimum of one more game, but he is coming off of two straight dismal fantasy performances in an average of just over 29 minutes during this span. This will also be the Magic’s second contest without Markelle Fultz, who is done for the season with a torn ACL, so Cole Anthony and Dwayne Bacon should be in line for significantly more playing time than they’ve been afforded in the early portion of the season thus far.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Cameron Payne (ankle) ruled out Saturday
Payne has been included on the Suns’ initial injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sprained right ankle, while Jalen Smith remains in the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is still away from the team. Payne has typically seen minutes in the upper-teens off the bench this season, so his absence will likely open up additional playing time and playmaking responsibilities for the likes of Jevon Carter and Lanston Galloway in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Duane Rankin via Twitter Russell Westbrook (quad) questionable Saturday
Westbrook has been included on the Wizards’ initial injury report and is currently listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to left quad soreness. Westbrook ended up logging 33 minutes in Friday’s loss, and he has yet to play in both games of a back-to-back set following head coach Scott Brooks’ claims in the preseason that the team plans to rest him on one side of the back-to-back all season. This likely puts Westbrook closer to doubtful than questionable, and if he’s held out, Raul Neto would likely step into the starting lineup once again, and Troy Brown Jr. may be able to finally see some playing time with the second unit after being a DNP-CD in three straight contests.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Steph Curry (ankle) and Andrew Wiggins (quad) will play Friday
As expected, Curry has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after tweaking his left ankle late in Wednesday’s loss, while Wiggins got the go-ahead from the Warriors’ medical staff following his pregame warmup and will also be available to play in tonight’s contest. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for either player, so they should be expected to start and see their usual allotment of minutes this evening.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Other tagged players: Andrew Wiggins De'Aaron Fox (hamstring) will play with a minute restriction Friday
Fox has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors despite dealing with right hamstring tightness he aggravated in the first quarter of Wednesday’s win. However, head coach Luke Walton already disclosed to reporters during his pregame media availability that Fox will be limited by an undisclosed minute restriction in tonight’s contest, which should lead to an increased workload for Tyrese Haliburton and possibly even Cory Joseph in the first unit. Haliburton is coming off of a tremendous fantasy performance in just under 35 minutes of action last time out, but he was buoyed by an unsustainable fantasy output in the fourth quarter, making him an easy player to avoid if he gains ownership traction across the daily fantasy industry this evening.
As reported by: Jason Anderson via Twitter Anthony Davis (adductor) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) ruled out Friday
Davis has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a strained right adductor, while Caldwell-Pope will miss a third straight game due to a sprained left ankle. However, the Lakers will still have the services of LeBron James on the second night of a back-to-back set, and even though he logged 35 minutes in Thursday’s loss, there has been no word of a potential minute restriction for him in tonight’s contest. With Davis and Caldwell-Pope sidelined, Markieff Morris and Wesley Matthews will enter the starting lineup at their respective positions, but their minute floors may not be as secure as the initially might seem since Los Angeles has players like Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, and Talen Horton-Tucker waiting to siphon away playing time off the bench.
As reported by: Mike Trudell via Twitter Other tagged players: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Evan Fournier (back) ruled out Friday
Fournier has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to back spasms that have now forced him to miss four consecutive games. With Aaron Gordon also unavailable, Gary Clark should remain in the starting lineup at power forward for a minimum of one more game, but he is coming off of a dismal fantasy performance in 28 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. This will also be the Magic’s first contest without Markelle Fultz, who is done for the season with a torn ACL, so Clark, Cole Anthony, and Dwayne Bacon should be in line for significantly more playing time than they’ve been afforded in the early portion of the season thus far.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Joe Ingles (Achilles) ruled out Friday
Ingles has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to right Achilles soreness, while Derrick Favors is good to go even though the Jazz unnecessarily keeps listing him as probable with a knee issue leading up to every game. The absence of Ingles will create quite the hole in head coach Quin Snyder’s second unit, so look for Georges Niang to see a bump in playing time at the power forward position with Miye Oni possibly entering the rotation, while Jordan Clarkson should step into larger creation role off the bench, making him an intriguing tournament target in daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Christian Wood (knee) will start Friday
Wood has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing one game due to a sore left knee. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Wood, so he’ll presumably be fine to handle his usual allotment of playing time in tonight’s contest, which will send DeMarcus Cousins back to the bench following his tremendous fantasy outing in just over 23 minutes of action in Wednesday’s loss. Additionally, with Danuel House Jr. still unavailable, David Nwaba is expected to continue starting at small forward in his place, but with Ben McLemore cleared to return, his minutes may be slightly more capped than they have been over the previous few games.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman via Twitter Kyle Lowry (personal) listed out Friday
Lowry is a late addition to the Raptors’ injury report and he’s officially been ruled out of Friday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings as he is currently away from the team tending to a personal matter. In his absence, Norman Powell appears to be the leading candidate to join the starting lineup alongside Fred VanVleet in the backcourt, while some combination of Terence Davis and Malachi Flynn should compete for the backup point and shooting guard minutes, though Davis appears to be the more natural fit to absorb time at the two-spot. Unsurprisingly, VanVleet is the overwhelming beneficiary with Lowry off the court as he has a 26.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 DraftKings and 1.16 FanDuel points per minute in 918.2 minutes over the last two seasons.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report