3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers forward
Dean Wade (knee) will remain out for Thursday's Game 2 against Boston. He's missed two months with a sprained right knee, but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for the 27-year-old. An update ahead of the second-round series opener by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com suggested Wade might be ready to return to action this weekend. With
Jarrett Allen (rib) also out injured, the Cavaliers could really use an extra body on the frontcourt. Wade finished the regular season with averages of 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds across 20.5 minutes.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers center
Jarrett Allen (rib) has once again landed on the injury report as questionable ahead of Game 2 against Boston on Thursday. Allen missed a fourth consecutive game as the Eastern Conference semifinals started on Tuesday night. He's bothered by a right rib contusion, which reportedly even makes it tough for him to sleep, so the signs aren't great regarding his potential return on Thursday.
Evan Mobley will continue to start at center if Allen isn't ready to return, with
Tristan Thompson and
Marcus Morris Sr. providing cover.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Luka Doncic (knee) is on the injury report as probable ahead of Thursday's Game 2 against the Thunder. He looks set to play through a knee sprain after going through a full practice on Wednesday. Doncic appeared to be troubled by the injury in Tuesday's Game 1, but he's previously had no issues stuffing the stat sheet. The 25-year-old superstar is averaging 28.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and 1.1 steals for the 2024 postseason. However, Doncic has run into some serious shooting woes in the playoffs, hitting only 22.7 percent of his three-point shots and 39.5 percent overall from the field.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard
Donovan Mitchell produced a game-high 33 points on 12-for-25 shooting as the team had to settle for a 120-95 loss in Game 1 against Boston on Tuesday. He hit four shots from deep with 11 attempts and collected six rebounds, five assists, and one steal. The Cleveland star has now scored 122 across the past three games. Mitchell has been in spectacular form lately, but he definitely needs more help if the Cavaliers want to make Boston sweat in the series.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoBoston Celtics guard/forward
Jaylen Brown had the hot hand in Tuesday's Game 1 against the Cavaliers, leading his team with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting in a 120-95 win. The three-time All-Star started a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and erupted for 15 first-quarter points. He finished 4-for-6 from downtown and completed his line with six rebounds, two assists, and one block. Brown has been shooting the ball very well in the postseason but has been a bit quiet so far, averaging 24.3 points. However, it looks like he's ready to hit top gear, with the stakes getting higher.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDallas Mavericks center
Daniel Gafford had an impressive opening to the second-round series against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, posting a double-double and swatting away five shots in a 117-95 loss. Dallas struggled throughout the contest, but Gafford enjoyed his best postseason outing of the year. He scored 16 points with 5-for-12 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 record at the line and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. The Thunder lack size and have struggled on the glass all year, making this a very favorable matchup for Gafford, who has now scored in double figures in back-to-back games while bagging 17 rebounds.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Luka Doncic had a tough time making an impact in Tuesday's Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City. He was limited to 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting, nailed only one of his eight attempts from three-point range, and even struggled at the line, going 6-for-10. Doncic's night of misery included five turnovers to go along with six rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Lu Dort did a great job defensively against Doncic, but the Slovenian star also seemed to have been bothered by his sprained right knee, which has kept him on the injury report lately. It will be extremely difficult for Dallas to match the Thunder if Doncic isn't at full flow.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoOklahoma City Thunder guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came extremely close to his first career postseason triple-double as the team opened the second-round series on Tuesday against Dallas with a dominant 117-95 win. The Thunder star led all scorers with 29 points on 8-for-19 shooting and had nine rebounds and nine assists. Gilgeous-Alexander hit 2-for-4 from downtown and 11-for-13 at the charity stripe while helping out on the defensive end with one steal and two blocks. This was a monster effort from Gilgeous-Alexander as he outplayed Dallas' star-studded backcourt. Through five games, he's averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.4 steals in the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoNew York Knicks center
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) has likely played his final game of the 2024 postseason. He has sustained a stress injury to his left ankle and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks. The news comes after Robinson was ruled out for Wednesday's Game 2 against Indiana. Robinson had surgery on the same ankle in December and missed 50 games. He returned to action for the final stretch of the regular season. The 26-year-old was also out for one game during the Knicks' first-round series against Philadelphia.
Isaiah Hartenstein is now set to play a huge role down the middle for New York, with
Precious Achiuwa getting a handful of minutes off the bench.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDenver Nuggets point guard
Jamal Murray will be available for Friday's Game 3 against Minnesota. He was in danger of getting suspended after tossing two objects -- a towel and a heating pad -- toward an official in Game 2. Murray was fined $100,000 for the incident. The Canadian star has been battling a calf injury lately and had a poor game on Monday with eight points. His shooting numbers have been lacking in the postseason, but Murray has still averaged strong numbers by getting 20.4 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoIndiana Pacers point guard
Tyrese Haliburton (back) is considered questionable for Wednesday's Game 2 against the Knicks. He's carried the designation for quite some time due to back spasms but hasn't yet missed any postseason action. Haliburton had a rough one in the series opener on Monday, recording only six points in 36 minutes. Backup point guard
T.J. McConnell has produced a pair of strong efforts and figures to maintain a prominent role in the rotation, with Haliburton not at 100 percent and off his game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 days agoNew York Knicks center
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) will skip Wednesday's Game 2 against Indiana. The team has ruled Robinson out for left ankle injury management purposes. The seven-footer had surgery on his left ankle during the regular season and appeared to re-injure the ankle at the start of the playoffs. Robinson was limited to only two points and two rebounds in 12 minutes in the series opener against the Pacers on Monday. He will be out for a second time this postseason.
Precious Achiuwa will get an opportunity to stake a claim in the rotation without Robinson, but he likely won't see a lot of action, with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau putting a lot of trust in his starters.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
4 days agoMinnesota Timberwolves center
Rudy Gobert has been voted the 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The French giant receives the award for a record-tying fourth time. He joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only four-time winners. Gobert finished sixth in blocks this season with 2.1 swats per game and limited the opposition to 45.2 percent effective field goal percentage, helping the Timberwolves register the league's best defensive rating during the regular season. He was fourth in the league with 9.2 defensive rebounds per game and second in rebounding overall with 12.9 boards.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoCleveland Cavaliers center
Jarrett Allen (rib) will not play against Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday. He's forced to sit out a fourth consecutive game with a rib contusion.
Isaac Okoro makes another start, with
Evan Mobley in the center position. With Allen sidelined, Mobley has bagged a couple of nice double-doubles in recent games. Okoro has received a boost in playing time but doesn't stand out in any areas and hasn't got a lot to offer to DFS managers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
4 days agoCleveland Cavaliers forward
Dean Wade (knee) has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Wade hasn't been available since March 8th due to a right knee strain. However, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Wade is getting closer to returning to the Cavs lineup. This past regular season, the 27-year-old suited up for 54 games averaging 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks in 20.5 minutes per contest.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
RADIO
