DFS Alerts
Lance Thomas confirmed as the starter in place of Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis will not play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as doubtful then questionable on the Knicks’ injury report with a sore left Achilles that has now kept him sidelined for three consecutive games. Carmelo Anthony will likely slide over to power forward in place of Porzingis once again, while Lance Thomas will start at small forward. According to our CourtIQ tool, Anthony unsurprisingly leads the Knicks with a substantial 5.8% usage rate differential (36.9%) with Porzingis off the court this season. Clearly, Anthony deserves consideration as one of the top small forward plays on the entire slate.
As reported by: Jonah Ballow Other tagged players: Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis (Achillies) ruled out for tonight
Porzingis will not play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as doubtful then questionable on the Knicks’ injury report with a sore left Achilles that has now kept him sidelined for three consecutive games. Carmelo Anthony will likely slide over to power forward in place of Porzingis once again, while Lance Thomas will start at small forward. According to our CourtIQ tool, Anthony unsurprisingly leads the Knicks with a substantial 5.8% usage rate differential (36.9%) with Porzingis off the court this season. Clearly, Anthony deserves consideration as one of the top small forward plays on the entire slate.
As reported by: @NY Knicks PR Marco Belinelli (ankle) not expected to play his normal allotment of minutes
Belinelli will play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after being sidelined in the Hornets’ previous five games with a sprained left ankle. According to Hornets’ head coach Steve Clifford, Belinelli will not see his normal allotment of minutes in his return this evening. With Belinelli officially available, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeremy Lamb become less appealing options, as they both should see their minutes reduced to some extent. They both can be considered in tournaments given their inexpensive salaries, but neither are particularly intriguing options.
As reported by: Erik Horne Evan Fournier (heel) will play tonight, not confirmed as the starter yet
Evan Fournier is expected to return tonight after a five-game absence due to a heel injury. Jodie Meeks has been starting in his place and averaged 20.76 FanDuel points in those five games. Since no starters have been named at this time, it’s possible that Meeks remains in the starting lineup. With Fournier returning, Meeks will be a risky option even if he stays in the starting lineup. Stay tuned for another update from the Magic.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins Other tagged players: Jodie Meeks Jameer Nelson (abdominal) and Darrell Arthur (knee) probable for Thursday; Kenneth Faried (back) listed as questionable
Faried has been listed as questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to lower back pain that also forced him to miss the Nuggets last two games. Jameer Nelson and Darrell Arthur have also been listed as probable for Thursday’s contest with a strained abdominal and sore left knee respectively. Both Nelson and Arthur played on Tuesday, so their injury designation is likely more for precautionary reasons than anything else. If you don’t mind playing roulette with the Nuggets’ front court otation, Jusuf Nurkic could be an intriguing option in tournaments after averaging just under 20 minutes off the bench in Faried’s two-game absence. However, Wilson Chandler and Nikola Jokic still clearly remain the optimal targets if considering members of the Denver front court.
As reported by: T.J. McBride Other tagged players: Darrell Arthur, Kenneth Faried Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (hip) ruled out for Thursday; Jeremy Lin (hamstring) remains out
Hollis-Jefferson will not play in tomorrow night’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to right hip tendinitis. His unavailability will open up playing time for Bojan Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick, while Spencer Dinwiddie should see some run off the bench. In addition, Jeremy Lin has also been ruled out, just further cementing the viability of Kilpatrick for Thursday’s slate.
As reported by: Mike Gallagher Other tagged players: Jeremy Lin Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez assigned to the Nuggets D-League affiliate
The Denver Nuggets have officially assigned Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez to the South Dakota Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Beasley only appeared in 9 games for Denver this season and saw a grand total of 55 minutes, so needless to say, his absence from the active roster has little to no affect the actual rotation. Hernangomez’s demotion, on the other hand, is certainly noteworthy as he had found his way into the rotation on numerous occasions when the Nuggets were shorthanded in the front court. Reserve duties will continue to be handled by the trio of Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, and Jusuf Nurkic.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Other tagged players: Juancho Hernangomez Pistons assign Henry Ellenson to the D-League
The Detroit Pistons have officially assigned Henry Ellenson to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League. Ellenson only appeared in 10 games for Detroit this season and saw a grand total of 37 minutes, so needless to say, his absence from the active roster has little to no affect the actual rotation.
As reported by: Rod Beard Kristaps Porzingis (Achillies) upgraded to questionable for tonight
Porzingis has been upgraded to questionable and he said he is hopeful to play tonight. This would change the slate entirely and could potentially really hurt the value of Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah. Stay tuned for more updates regarding this situation
As reported by: Ian Begley Other tagged players: Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah Hollis Thompson waived by Philadelphia
NBA team have until Jan. 7 to waive players and avoid guaranteeing their salaries for the rest of the season. Hollis Thompson was waived by the Sixers today and that means they have a ton of faith in Nik Stauskas and Robert Covington. Thompson was being used as their backup but was unable to make an impact this season.
As reported by: Derek Bodner Other tagged players: Nik Stauskas, Robert Covington Rudy Gay (hip) doubtful for tonight; Ty Lawson (eye) listed as questionable
Rudy Gay is not expected to play again tonight. He’s missed nine games due to the hip injury and there is no timetable for his return. Ty Lawson was expected to play last night but was unable to go after warming up. Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo really stepped up in the absence of Lawson and will be considered viable option again tonight if Lawson is out.
As reported by: James Ham Other tagged players: Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo Luol Deng questionable for Thursdays game for Lakers
The Lakers forward is dealing with tendinitis in his right biceps and is questionable for their game against Portland on Thursday after missing practice today. Brandon Ingram and Thomas Robinson would benefit the most if he is unable to play tomorrrow.
As reported by: Lakers official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Brandon Ingram, Thomas Robinson
Andrew Bogut expected to play for Dallas on Thursday
The Mavericks center injured his knee last night but went through practice today and is expected to play tomorrow against the Suns by Head Coach Rick Carlisle.
As reported by: Earl Sneed on Twitter Patrick Beverley likely to play on Thursday
Beverley is officially listed as questionable but was able to take part in the team practice today and Head Coach Mike D’Antoni stated that he expects him to play. Corey Brewer will head back to the bench and it’ll be a slight hit to Eric Gordon’s playing time.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen on Twitter Dwyane Wade a game-time decision for Bulls tonight
Wade missed Chicago’s last game and will be a game-time decision. If he can’t go, Doug McDermott will get the start but the biggest bump goes to Jimmy Butler whose usage soars when Wade is not on the court. However, there will be strong recency bias after his monster game the other night so his ownership levels could be extremely inflated (probably not enough though to merit fading on a seven game slate).
As reported by: Vincent Goodwill on Twitter Other tagged players: Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott