1 month agoGolden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was passive on offense during Thursday's Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The veteran sharpshooter attempting only 12 shots, which is tied for his second-lowest mark of the season. Curry instead operated as an elite facilitator and let others do the shooting on Thursday. He finished with 20 points, 12 assists, and four rebounds in the victory over Los Angeles. Curry had eight assists by halftime, which is a new playoff career high. The series now shifts to Los Angeles, so we'll see if Curry is more aggressive on the scoring end in Game 3.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

1 month agoGolden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson stepped up and delivered during Thursday's Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors desperately needed a win after going down 1-0 in the series. Thompson played well, finishing with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting, three rebounds, an assist and eight triples. It's worth noting that Thompson has only scored 30 points once in his last 20 games, dating back to the regular season. The Lakers had no answers for Thompson, so we'll see if they make an adjustment heading into Game 3.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

1 month agoGolden State Warriors forward JaMychal Green received the start ahead of Kevon Looney during Thursday's Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a bit surprising given how well Looney has been rebounding lately. However, the Warriors wanted to go with a different look and it worked on Thursday. Green finished with 15 points, two assists, and one rebound in 13 minutes of action. It sounds like Looney wasn't feeling 100 percent, so that's the main reason why Green moved into the starting unit. Although, it worked well, so possibly the Warriors continue to ride with Green as the starter going forward.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers center Mo Bamba (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors. The big man was considered questionable coming into this game due to left ankle soreness. The Lakers will play it safe here and sit Bamba during this contest. He hasn't been a big part of the rotation lately, so his absence won't have much of an impact on the rotation. Anthony Davis should continue to be the anchor for this team in the frontcourt.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report

1 month agoGolden State Warriors center Kevon Looney will come off the bench for Thursday's Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors have decided to start JaMychal Green alongside Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins on Thursday. Looney has been fantastic on the boards recently, but the Warriors will play small-ball here. Green has averaged 14 minutes per game during the regular season. It's unlikely that he has a huge role during Thursday's game.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: NBA.com

1 month agoPhoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (groin) was unable to participate in Thursday's practice, according to head coach Monty Williams. The veteran guard suffered a groin injury on Monday, which could sideline him for part of the series. As of right now, the Suns don't expect Paul to be ready for Game 3 of this second-round series. The team is listing him as day-to-day, but they aren't going to rush the 37-year-old back onto the court. In the meantime, Cameron Payne and Josh Okogie are likely to see increased usage in the rotation.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Ohm Youngmisuk

1 month agoNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (ankle) was unable to do much during Thursday's practice, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau. The team is currently considering Brunson day-to-day with right ankle soreness. Luckily, the Knicks don't play again until Saturday, so Brunson has plenty of time to rest and recover. Possibly, the Knicks were giving Brunson and easy day in practice because they don't want to push him too hard right now. His absence would be a significant hit to the Knicks rotation. Immanuel Quickley would be asked to start if Brunson is unable to play on Saturday.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Nick Friedell

1 month agoPhiladelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (knee) is considered questionable heading into Game 3 against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The big man missed Game 1 due to a right knee sprain, so he'll likely remain on the injury report throughout the series. The Sixers were able to take Game 1 without Embiid. However, they dropped Game 2 with Embiid back on the court. It's hard to imagine Embiid missing Game 3, but fantasy managers will have to check back on Friday for another update. Paul Reed would move into the starting five, assuming Embiid is unavailable.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report

1 month agoMilwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been dismissed from his role as head coach of the organization. This shouldn't come as a huge shock after the Bucks' 4-1 playoff series loss to the Miami Heat in the first round. The Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA and were expected to have a deep playoff run. They were without Giannis Antetokounmpo for most of Game 1 and all of Games 2 and 3. Despite that, the Bucks have decided to pin their playoff series loss on Budenholzer. The 53-year-old coach won it all with the Bucks in 2020-2021. He's an experienced coach that should be able to find another opportunity. The Bucks will now be the most attractive job opening in the league.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski

1 month agoMiami Heat guard/forward Max Strus (back) briefly left Tuesday's Game 2 against New York with a lower back contusion, but he's been quoted as saying that he's dealing with "just a little bruise." The 27-year-old had one of the best games of his playoff career Tuesday, shooting 3-for-7 from deep and 7-for-12 overall from the field en route to 17 points. Strus had a tough time scoring the basketball efficiently during the regular season, and while his scoring average has dropped during the playoffs, Strus has managed to greatly improve his shooting percentages and is hitting over 41 percent from deep. It looks like he's good to go for Saturday's Game 3, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Strus pop up on the injury report.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Chiang

1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (foot) is regarded as probable for Thursday's Game 2 against the Warriors. He's been a mainstay on the injury report with right foot soreness, but James has had no trouble playing through the issue and it will probably take something very severe to keep LeBron off the court during playoff action. The NBA-s all-time leading scorer has averaged 22.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 blocks in his 16th postseason campaign.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report

1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers forward/center Anthony Davis (foot) is listed as probable for Thursday's Game 2 versus Golden State. He's been on the injury report forever, but Davis hasn't missed a game since March 15 and should be in the lineup Thursday as well. Davis' countless health issues have given him a bad reputation, but he's been available for the team for all but three games since returning from a stress injury to his right foot in late January. AD dominated against the Warriors with a 30-20 game in the series opener and is averaging 22.1 points per game for the postseason with 15.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report

1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers center Mo Bamba (ankle) is considered questionable for Thursday's Game 2 against Golden State. He's dealing with left ankle soreness and Bamba was also questionable for Game 1 of the series before getting ruled out. Bamba's absence hasn't been a big miss for the Lakers, as the 24-year-old has featured very little for the team since joining from Orlando in February. In the playoffs, he's taken the court in just three games, logging a total of 10:10 of action.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report

1 month agoPhiladelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey had 13 points during the team's lethargic performance in Wednesday's Game 2 against Boston. He shot a decent 6-for-14 from the field but continued to struggle from three-point range, going 1-for-4. Maxey is now shooting just 23.5 percent from downtown across the last three games. He played 30 minutes in the blowout loss and finished his line with three rebounds, three assists and one block. This was a horror show for Philadelphia from start to finish, but the team now returns home and should feel a lot more comfortable in front of its fans. However, it might not be the case with Maxey, who's had much better shooting splits on the road this season.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

1 month agoPhiladelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris was the team's top scorer with 16 points in Wednesday's blowout loss to Boston. The 30-year-old shot 7-for-12 from the field and was 2-for-5 from downtown with seven rebounds. Harris has played well in these playoffs, averaging 19.2 points per game with 7.8 rebounds, shooting 50 percent from deep. He's also been a good finisher around the rim, and Harris' overall shooting efficiency has been even above 55 percent in the playoffs.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN