1 day agoMilwaukee Bucks point guard
Damian Lillard aggravated an Achilles injury in Friday's epic playoff battle against Indiana. Lillard had a good game with 28 points, eight assists, and three steals, but he tweaked his Achilles near the end of the fourth quarter and was hindered by the injury in overtime. The ailment leaves Lillard iffy for Sunday's Game 4. With
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) on the shelf,
Khris Middleton already carried a huge load on Friday and could be asked to do even more in Game 4.
Pat Connaughton or
Malik Beasley should take Lillard's position in the starting lineup if he's out on Sunday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoLos Angeles Clippers forward
Kawhi Leonard amassed nine points and nine rebounds in Friday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The 32-year-old missed time because of knee inflammation but returned for Game 2. While he played well enough in that contest, he took a step back on Friday night. Even more concerning, Leonard only logged 25 minutes. He's likely still bothered by the knee issue, so there's reason to believe he will miss Game 4 on Sunday. If that's the case,
Paul George and
James Harden could pick up some of the slack. But
Norman Powell, finishing with 21 points in Game 3, will be a coveted DFS option.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoMiami Heat guard
Delon Wright (personal) is questionable for Saturday's meeting with the Celtics. With
Terry Rozier (neck) out of commission, Wright has been getting some work during this series. He's played well, too, averaging 11.0 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 75.0% from behind the arc. If he can't suit up,
Tyler Herro could see even more minutes at the one. In addition,
Patty Mills may finally make an appearance, although he doesn't have much upside.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 days agoDallas Mavericks center
Daniel Gafford (back) will suit up for Friday's matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. He's taken a beating during this series, so he was listed as questionable heading into this contest. However, the former Wizard will be on the floor. Gafford didn't see much work in the first two games, and that likely won't change on Friday night. Yet, his availability will still lower the fantasy ceilings of
Maxi Kleber and
Dereck Lively II.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Mike Curtis
2 days agoLos Angeles Clippers forward
Kawhi Leonard (knee) is available for Friday's postseason matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. Leonard returned for Game 2 after missing time because of knee inflammation. He played well despite the lengthy layoff, amassing 15 points with seven boards, four steals, and one block. While the 32-year-old had issues finding the bottom of the net, he'll likely play better this time around.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Tomer Azarly
2 days agoMiami Heat guard
Terry Rozier (neck) won't play on Saturday against the Celtics. Miami stole Game 2 in Boston. However, it will be difficult for the Heat to win the series without their starting point guard. At this point, nobody can say for sure when he'll be back. But until that happens,
Tyler Herro should continue to hold things down at the one. Herro is coming off a potent performance, accumulating a team-high 24 points with 14 assists, five rebounds, and one steal. Still, the C's will make some adjustments, meaning Herro may not be as productive in Game 3.
Delon Wright, who has been coming in off the bench for relief, is questionable for this one. If Wright can't suit up,
Patty Mills could make an appearance, although he likely won't do much for DFS managers.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
2 days 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
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