1 month agoMiami Heat point guard
Terry Rozier (neck) will remain absent for Game 5 against Boston on Wednesday. The former Celtic is struggling to overcome neck spasms and has already missed 10 consecutive contests. With Rozier's extended absense
Tyler Herro will continue to lead the Heat's backcourt in Game 5 after posting 19 points, four rebounds and four assists in 44 minutes during Game 4 on Monday.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 month agoMiami Heat guard/forward
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (hip) will be unavailable for Game 5 on Wednesday versus the Boston Celtics due to a hip flexor strain. In Game 4, Jaquez had some tightness in his right hip and he missed the entire fourth quarter after posting nine points and two rebounds in 22 minutes on the court. With Jaquez,
Jimmy Butler (knee), and
Terry Rozier (neck) out,
Kevin Love,
Duncan Robinson,
Delon Wright,
Patty Mills and
Haywood Highsmith will have to step up in Game 5 as the Heat are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Ira Winderman
1 month agoDallas Mavericks guard/forward
Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle) is ruled out for Wednesday's Game 5 with the Clippers. The 32-year-old will miss his third consecutive contest after spraining his right ankle in Game 2 of the opening-round series. Before the ankle injury, Hardaway averaged just three points and two rebounds in the series.
Dante Exum, and
Josh Green will likely see more playing time in Hardaway's absence.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 month agoNew York Knicks guard/forward
Bojan Bogdanovic (foot, wrist) will have season-ending surgeries on his left foot and left wrist, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The veteran sharpshooter has been playing with ligament damage in his left wrist, but he suffered a left-foot injury during his first minute in Game 4 on Sunday against the 76ers. He averaged 16.7 minutes in the series' first three games before lasting only 1:11 on Sunday. In Game 4,
Precious Achiuwa and
Miles McBride were effective in helping the Knicks win. They should continue to see an uptick in minutes, especially with Bogdanovic out.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania
1 month agoOklahoma City Thunder guard/forward
Jalen Williams had a fantastic all-around performance on Monday against New Orleans as the team completed a first-round sweep with a 97-89 road victory. Williams tied
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for most points in the contest with 24, grabbed eight rebounds, and tallied four assists, two steals, and one block. The 23-year-old Santa Clara product has been hugely impressive in his first postseason campaign. He's averaging a team-high 1.8 steals and also sits among the Thunder leaders with 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoMiami Heat center
Bam Adebayo racked up 25 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists Monday versus Boston, but his efforts weren't enough as a 102-88 loss sent Erik Spoelstra's team to the brink of elimination. Adebayo did the damage with 11-for-22 shooting. The Heat big man has gone for 20-plus points in all four games in the series, and he boasts two double-doubles, but
Jimmy Butler (knee) is a huge loss to the team, and Miami needs to pull off something special to survive in Game 5 on Wednesday. Adebayo will enter the action averaging 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for the series. Strangely, he hasn't yet registered any defensive stats this postseason.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoBoston Celtics guard
Derrick White led the charge in Monday's Game 4 against Miami, scoring a career-high 38 points in a 102-88 win. He nailed eight three-point bombs with 15 attempts and shot 15-for-26 overall. As usual, White also made himself useful defensively and produced Boston's only three blocks of the game. He wrapped up his line with four rebounds and three assists.
Jayson Tatum and
Jaylen Brown generally grab the headlines in Boston, but White once again demonstrated how well this Celtics team is built. He's been effective throughout the series, averaging 21.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks with 47 percent shooting from downtown.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoBoston Celtics forward
Jayson Tatum struggled with his shot in Game 4 against Miami on Monday but still produced 20 points and posted his third double-double of the 2024 postseason by grabbing 11 rebounds. Tatum added five assists in a 102-88 win, shooting 5-for-14 from the field with a 2-for-6 effort from outside. He was able to reach the 20-point plateau thanks to perfect 8-for-8 free-throw shooting. The Boston superstar tweaked his left ankle with five minutes to go in the contest, although he had no trouble finishing the game. Tatum has suffered from streaky shooting in the 2024 playoffs, but the Celtics have still grabbed a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round series and will go out for the kill in Wednesday's Game 5.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers forward/center
Anthony Davis suffered a shoulder injury in Monday's Game 5 loss to Denver but was able to complete the game and logged 40 minutes. Davis was hurt late in the third quarter when he took a blow from behind to his left shoulder area by Nuggets forward
Michael Porter Jr.. He sat out the final four minutes of the quarter before playing the entire fourth as the Lakers desperately tried to remain alive in the series. Davis had another strong outing with 17 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. The nine-time All-Star will be massively disappointed with the early playoff exit, but Davis had a lot of personal success in 2023-24. He played in a career-high 76 regular-season contests, setting his new record with 12.6 rebounds and averaging 24.7 points with 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocks.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers forward
LeBron James refused to commit himself to the team for next season after suffering the earliest playoff exit of his career at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Monday. "I'm not going to answer that," James said when asked if he considered whether Monday's game could be his last with the Lakers. James, who went out in the first round for only the second time in his 21-year-career, also said he would eventually sit down with his agent, Rich Paul, and his family to evaluate "what's best for my career." The NBA's all-time leading scorer has a player option for next season worth $51.4 million. He has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his contract or become an unrestricted free agent. Despite turning 39 in December, James continued to post strong numbers in 2023-24, averaging 25.7 points with 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoDenver Nuggets center
Nikola Jokic was close to only the ninth 25-20-10 triple-double in NBA playoff history on Monday, finishing a 108-106 victory over the Lakers with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists. Jokic started the game slowly and had trouble handling the ball, ending up with seven turnovers, but he played a massive role in the team's success again and came very close to having his fifth postseason game with at least 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 dimes. He finished the contest with 12-for-21 shooting, missing four of five attempts from downtown. The Serbian superstar will now start preparing to battle the Timberwolves. Minnesota was the league's top defensive team during the regular season and has
Rudy Gobert and
Karl-Anthony Towns to throw at Jokic, but he's averaged a 33-point triple-double in the matchup this term.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoDenver Nuggets point guard
Jamal Murray shook off a calf injury to produce a game-winning performance in Monday's Game 5 against the Lakers. He led all scorers with 32 points, wrapping things up with a jumper four seconds from the end to make it 108-106 and win Denver the game and series. Murray shot 13-for-28 from the field and 5-for-10 from downtown en route to his highest-scoring performance of the series. He also contributed on the offensive end with seven assists and recorded three rebounds and one steal. Despite dealing with a calf strain, Murray logged 41 minutes of action. He will now get some much-needed rest, with the Nuggets' second-round series against Minnesota not starting until Saturday. Denver's star guard is averaging 23.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the postseason.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoAccording to TNT's Allie LaForce, Denver Nuggets guard
Jamal Murray (calf) will play on Monday night versus the Lakers. The 27-year-old was on the injury report because of a left calf strain. While the team is certainly glad to have him out there, he may not be fully healthy. However, Murray has an excellent chance to turn things around after his rough showing in Game 4, making him a viable DFS option for Game 5.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Allie LaForce
1 month agoAccording to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston Celtics center
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. The veteran suffered what the team called right calf tightness before the end of the first half, so he'd finish the night with seven points in 14 minutes. Fortunately, medical personnel don't suspect an Achilles injury. However, the ailment could be enough to keep Porzingis off the floor for Game 5, although it's still too early to speculate. But if he can't go,
Al Horford should slide into the starting lineup, with
Luke Kornet getting minutes behind him from off the bench.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski
1 month agoBoston Celtics center
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is doubtful to return to Monday's playoff matchup with the Heat. Porzingis was having another rough shooting performance, going 1-for-5 from the field. But even worse, he injured his right calf before the end of the first half. The C's have Game 4 under control, so there's no urgency to bring Porzingis back to the floor. However, the real question now is if he'll be healthy enough to suit up for Game 5. If he can't,
Al Horford will likely take over at the five, with
Luke Kornet coming in for relief.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Jay King
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