4 weeks agoMilwaukee Bucks guard/forward
Khris Middleton (ankle) was originally listed as questionable after not practicing on Thursday but has officially been upgraded to available on Friday for Game 3 in Indiana. The Bucks will have to lean on Middleton a lot as the second scorer alongside
Damian Lillard since
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) has already been ruled out. So far, Middleton is averaging 19.0 points per game but hasn't been able to be a consistent threat from deep while he's shooting just 28.6% from beyond the arc. He'll likely play heavy minutes to try to get the offense kickstarted in their first road game of the series which is where this team has been the worst this year.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 weeks agoPhoenix Suns guard
Grayson Allen (ankle) still hasn't been officially ruled out of Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The 28-year-old has been an important piece to the Suns' offense this season as he registered career-highs in points, threes, three-point percentage, field goal percentage, rebounds, and even assists. He also led the entire league in three-point percentage with a mark of 46.1%. Unfortunately, he hurt his ankle in Game 1 and has only been able to put up 3.5 points per game so far. As of right now, he's still considered questionable, but if he can't play, we may see some minutes for
Isaiah Thomas off of the bench while
Eric Gordon and
Royce O'Neale see more opportunities too.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 weeks agoMinnesota Timberwolves forward
Kyle Anderson (hip) has been listed as questionable for the Game 3 matchup on Friday against the Phoenix Suns. Anderson has only played five minutes across two games in this series so far, and it's unclear how he'd fit back into the rotation if he was upgraded to active. His minutes have fluctuated all season long and it could come down to matchups. If he remains sidelined, however,
Monte Morris,
Naz Reid, and
Nickeil Alexander-Walker will likely remain the main three players off of the bench.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 weeks agoMilwaukee Bucks forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) has been downgraded to out and will not play in Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday. This doesn't come as a surprise since Antetokounmpo was already listed as doubtful, but this series gets even harder for the Bucks now that they don't have the two-time MVP for the first game on the road. The Bucks only had a record of 18-22 on the road and the Pacers have the momentum after grabbing a win in Game 2. With Antetokounmpo remaining on the bench,
Bobby Portis should stay in the starting lineup while
Khris Middleton will have to step up as a scorer alongside
Damian Lillard.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 weeks agoCleveland Cavaliers guard
Donovan Mitchell couldn't get much going and the team as a whole could only muster up 83 points in a blowout loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday. The star combo guard posted just 13 points on 6-for-16 shooting and only knocked down one out of six three-point attempts. Throughout Mitchell's playoff career, which consists of 47 games, he's only scored fewer than 13 points five times. Despite the rough shooting night, he didn't produce many turnovers as he only committed two of them and registered seven assists with five rebounds.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Basketball Reference
4 weeks agoOrlando Magic forward
Paolo Banchero dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to a blowout win in Game 3 on Thursday night. After producing two high-turnover totals in the first two playoff games of his career, Banchero settled in and didn't turn the ball over once on Thursday. The Duke product finished this contest with 31 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and one steal while shooting 13-for-26 overall and 4-for-9 from downtown. Banchero is the driving force of the Magic offense, so when he gets into a rhythm, the Magic look a lot better as a unit. He's also produced fewer turnovers and better shooting percentages when playing at home this season.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Basketball Reference
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Lakers center/forward
Anthony Davis put together a big-time performance but couldn't get the help he needed from the rest of the team to get into the win column. He shot 14-for-23 from the floor and registered 33 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two turnovers. Davis has not only been the most consistent player for the Lakers so far this postseason, he's also been their best. Over the first three games of this series, Davis averages 32.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 61.5% from the floor.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Basketball Reference
4 weeks agoDenver Nuggets center
Nikola Jokic almost registered his 18th postseason triple-double in their Game 3 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The two-time MVP finished the game with 24 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and three turnovers. In his 13 shot attempts, Jokic only missed four of them and added 6-for-7 from the line. Jokic continues to put up some big numbers in the first half of each game and continues the momentum through the fourth quarter. The Lakers have yet to find any sort of answer to Jokic's abilities despite having one of the best defensive big men in the league in
Anthony Davis.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Basketball Reference
4 weeks agoDenver Nuggets forward
Aaron Gordon was the high-man in terms of scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The veteran wing finished the game with 29 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and one steal while shooting a red-hot 12-for-18 from the floor. He also knocked down five of his six free throw attempts. Gordon was getting all sorts of easy dunks and buckets in the lane which accounts for the fact that he only took one three-point shot and didn't make it. Gordon was a big part of the Nuggets' success over the past few seasons and he'll likely remain a top contributor in this postseason.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Basketball Reference
4 weeks agoNew York Knicks center
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) exited Thursday's loss to Philadelphia and didn't return. He reinjured his surgically repaired left ankle, with
Joel Embiid's flagrant foul potentially contributing to his premature departure. Robinson played well in Game 1, nearly amassing a double-double with four blocks. Yet, he didn't do much in Monday's win and entered Game 3 riding a questionable tag. Unfortunately, Robinson's night ended after logging 12 minutes to finish with two points and seven rebounds. With the Sixers taking back a game in this series, the teams will meet again on Sunday. However, Mitchell may not be available for that one.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Peter Botte
4 weeks agoNew York Knicks guard
Jalen Brunson finished with a team-high 39 points in Thursday's loss to Philadelphia. He added 13 assists and two rebounds. However, Brunson's potent performance wasn't enough, with the Sixers earning a much-needed win. With another stellar showing in the books, the 27-year-old is now averaging 28.3 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in this series. His shooting numbers need to improve. But Brunson should remain one of the top DFS options for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoPhiladelphia 76ers guard
Tyrese Maxey finished with 25 points in Thursday's much-needed victory over the Knicks. He added seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals. With
Joel Embiid dropping a game-high 50 points, Maxey still got his scoring chances. Granted, it was his worst game of the series. However, his efforts were still good enough for DFS managers. With the Sixers hoping to tie up the series on Sunday, fantasy participants should expect the 23-year-old to see plenty of minutes and remain heavily involved on both sides of the floor.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoPhiladelphia 76ers center
Joel Embiid (knee) led his team to a win over the Knicks on Thursday evening. Embiid logged 41 minutes and finished with a game-high 50 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists, and one block. He also went 13-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the arc, a significant improvement from the series' first two games. The MVP of the 2022-23 campaign came into this contest listed as questionable because of his ailing left knee, although that's nothing new. However, Embiid came back to life in Thursday's victory, so he'll receive even more attention from DFS managers for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoDallas Mavericks forward
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (ankle) won't play on Friday against the Clippers. The rookie tweaked his ankle during practice on Thursday. However, he hasn't seen much action this postseason, logging just one minute in Game 1, meaning he wouldn't have garnered any attention from DFS managers even if he was available.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Clippers forward
Kawhi Leonard (knee) is questionable for Friday's postseason meeting with the Dallas Mavericks. The veteran battled knee inflammation, forcing him to miss time toward the end of the 2023-24 campaign. He also wasn't available for Game 1, although he was back on the floor for Tuesday's loss. Despite struggling shooting the ball, Leonard still finished with 15 points, seven boards, four steals, and one block. Nonetheless, with the series tied at one game each, the 32-year-old should be cleared to suit up and see a full workload.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
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