1 week agoChicago Bulls guard
Lonzo Ball (injury management) won't play on Friday versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Due to a knee injury, Ball appeared in his first contest in over two years in Wednesday's opener against the Pelicans. He looked better than expected, amassing five points, four assists, and two boards in 14 minutes of work. With Chicago also playing on Saturday versus OKC, the 26-year-old will likely be back in the lineup for that one. As far as the contest with Milwaukee is concerned,
Ayo Dosunmu and
Talen Horton-Tucker are the favorites to absorb the minutes caused by Ball's absence.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoNew Orleans Pelicans forward
Zion Williamson (illness) isn't listed on the league's official injury report ahead of Friday's matchup with the Trail Blazers. The former Duke Blue Devil missed Wednesday's opener versus the Chicago Bulls due to an illness. However, he practiced in full on Thursday, with head coach Willie Green stating he "looks like he's good to go." While fantasy managers were discouraged to see him miss the first game of the 2024-25 campaign, they are delighted regarding the latest update. The Pelicans could certainly use him on the floor, considering New Orleans will be without
Dejounte Murray (hand) and
Trey Murphy III (hamstring) for the foreseeable future. Keep Williamson starting in all fantasy lineups, although his presence may mean fewer scorer opportunities for
Brandon Ingram and
CJ McCollum, who combined for 56 points in the opener.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1
week
agoNew
Orleans
Pelicans
forward
Trey
Murphy
III
(hamstring)
will
be
sidelined
for
at
least
the
new
two
weeks
due
to
a
hamstring
strain
he
obtained
in
early
October.
Murphy
III
has
not
yet
been
cleared
for
sprinting
or
physical
contact,
though
he
read more...
1
week
agoToronto
Raptors
guard
RJ
Barrett
(shoulder)
was
able
to
participate
in
practice
on
Thursday.
Barrett
suffered
an
AC
joint
strain
during
the
preseason
and
has
been
sidelined
since
October
6th.
The
initial
plan
was
to
target
a
return
during
the
season
opener
but
read more...
1 week agoToronto Raptors forward
Kelly Olynyk (back) missed practice on Thursday. Olynyk has been dealing with a back strain that kept him out of Wednesday's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The strain will also keep him out of Friday night's matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers as he has officially been ruled out. No official timetable has been released for the 33-year-old's return to action but given the nature of back injuries it would not be surprising to see him get an ample amount of time to rest up and prepare. With his absence, the Raptors deployed a three guard lineup against Cleveland that may be likely to continue.
Gradey Dick appeared to be the beneficiary and scored 16 points with two blocks on Wednesday. Fantasy managers looking for sneaky value may want to target the 20-year-old.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Michael Grange
1
week
agoToronto
Raptors
point
guard
Immanuel
Quickley
(pelvic)
did
not
participate
in
Thursday's
practice
for
the
Raptors
after
being
pulled
from
Wednesday's
season
opener
during
the
second
quarter
after
suffering
a
right
pelvis
contusion.
His
status
for
tomorrow
is
officially
listed
as
doubtful.
Initially
read more...
1 week agoPhiladelphia 76ers forward
Paul George (knee) participated in the Sixers' practice on Thursday and looks like he's progressing, according to head coach Nick Nurse. George suffered a bone bruise in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks and has been sidelined from most basketball action since. Philadelphia is likely to be very cautious in their approach to George's health, especially given their extremely cautious approach to teammate
Joel Embiid's knee. The 34-year-old was set to have his knee re-evaluated this week, but there has been no update on his knee's overall health since the bone-bruise diagnosis last week. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised not to see George play in regular-season action for at least another week or two. In the meantime,
Eric Gordon should continue to get starts for Philly, though his fantasy value may not impress much, as the veteran went 1-for-6 for just two points in their season opener against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Noah Levick
1
week
agoPhiladelphia
76ers
center
Joel
Embiid
(knee)
participated
in
practice
on
Thursday
and
looks
like
he's
progressing,
according
to
head
coach
Nick
Nurse.
Embiid
has
been
nursing
a
left-knee
injury
he
picked
up
in
Golden
State
in
late
January
that
forced
him
to
miss
29
read more...
1 week agoOklahoma City Thunder forward/center
Jaylin Williams (hamstring) hasn't recovered in time to be ready for Thursday's season opener against Denver. He missed the preseason with a right hamstring strain and hasn't been cleared for the start of the regular season. The Thunder look very thin inside the paint, with
Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) also on the shelf.
Chet Holmgren will be asked to do a lot of heavy lifting early in the year. He faces a very difficult matchup against
Nikola Jokic on Thursday but could be dominant in the next few games. The Thunder could also run a lot of small-ball lineups with no adequate backup for Holmgren.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoSacramento Kings guard/forward
Malik Monk (hand) isn't on the injury report ahead of Thursday's season opener against the Timberwolves. He appears to be good to go for the contest after battling right-hand soreness last week. Monk, who has been among the NBA's top bench scorers in recent years, will begin another campaign as a member of the Kings' second unit. However, he should still get a lot of action and can do big damage once he gets going. Minnesota had no answer to Monk the last time these teams met, as the 26-year-old went off for 39 points off the bench in a 124-120 overtime win.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoSacramento Kings forward
DeMar DeRozan (personal) will be in the lineup on Thursday versus Minnesota. DeRozan sat out Friday's practice for personal reasons but isn't listed on the injury report. This will mark DeRozan's debut with the Kings following a big sign-and-trade deal that brought him to Sacramento in the summer. With
De'Aaron Fox and
Domantas Sabonis next to him, DeRozan's usage rate looks bound to drop in 2024-25, but the presence of two costars should also help him get plenty of good looks.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoCharlotte Hornets guard/forward
Brandon Miller (hip) played only 11 minutes in Wednesday's season opener against Houston. He left the game shortly before halftime with left hip soreness. Miller shot 2-for-4 in the contest to register six points and had one rebound and one assist with one steal. With
Josh Green (Achilles) already unavailable,
Seth Curry and
Tre Mann played a big part in the rotation on Wednesday. The latter finished as the team's second-highest scorer, with 24 points, behind
LaMelo Ball. Mann, who was 4-for-8 with the three-ball versus the Rockets, could replace Miller in the starting unit if he isn't healthy enough to play Friday night against Atlanta.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Will Kunkel
1 week agoOrlando Magic forward
Jonathan Isaac was limited to 11 minutes in Wednesday's season opener against Miami due to left hip soreness. He came off the bench in the contest to log three points, three rebounds, one steal, and two blocks. Isaac has been troubled by injuries throughout his career, and unfortunately, he has to deal with another issue right at the beginning of a new campaign.
Moritz Wagner will likely pick up most of Isaac's minutes if he can't play on Friday versus Brooklyn. Wagner is a great energy guy off the bench and had seven points and six rebounds with two assists in 16 minutes versus the Heat.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Cody Taylor
1 week agoNew Orleans Pelicans guard
Dejounte Murray (hand) had the worst possible debut with the team on Wednesday when he was injured in the season opener against Chicago. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Murray exited the contest with a fractured left hand. He will be sidelined for an "extended period." Murray totaled 14 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists with one steal in 30 minutes before being forced to exit. His absence should allow
Jose Alvarado and
Jordan Hawkins to see more action, while
CJ McCollum and
Brandon Ingram get a usage boost, especially with
Zion Williamson (illness) out.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoToronto Raptors guard
Immanuel Quickley (pelvic) has been ruled out for the rest of Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Quickley suffered what is being called a right pelvis contusion during the second quarter of this contest. The Raptors will hold him out for the second half of this game and will likely give more details after the game. He finished with 13 points and four assists across 14 minutes of play before exiting.
Davion Mitchell started in the second half and would likely be asked to take on a bigger role if Quickley misses time. Mitchell has been inconsistent throughout his career, but could be a possible streaming option if Quickley is sidelined for multiple games.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Eric Smith
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