Our Injury Report NBA article is here to bring you all of the daily updates needed to maximize your bets for the day.
Make sure to check back regularly to this NBA injury report article as each pick could help inform your betting. We’ll update this article with three of our top injuries that will have a significant impact on certain matchups.
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Injury Report NBA – Key News For Friday, Mar. 28
Friday nights typically mean big NBA slates and injury reports to match, and that’s certainly the case tonight. We’ve got another extensive collection of stars among the walking wounded, with many of them already ruled out.
Today’s article will examine nine confirmed or potential prominent absences on tonight’s NBA slate and how the player’s team may be impacted, including how others could benefit from that star potentially being off the floor.
We’ll also list some additional noteworthy short-term injuries at the end of today’s article:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks, QUESTIONABLE (foot):
Antetokounmpo could miss his 26th game of the season Friday against the Knicks with the foot sprain that cost him Wednesday’s matchup against the Nuggets. Following its 127-117 loss to the Nuggets, Milwaukee is now 12-13 without Giannis this season.
Of the healthy current regular members of the Bucks’ rotation, Kyle Kuzma leads the Bucks’ starters with a 27.5% usage rate when both Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard (calf) are off the floor, a scenario in which the trade-deadline acquisition also averages 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per 36 minutes. Kevin Porter Jr. is the team leader (not counting the currently suspended Bobby Portis) with a 28.9% usage rate when both stars are off the floor, a sample in which he also averages 23.9 points, 8.4 assists and 2.3 steals per 36 minutes.
If Antetokounmpo sits out again Friday, the Bucks could go with the same first unit as Wednesday, when Gary Trent entered the starting five at two-guard and Kuzma and Taurean Prince handled the two forward spots.
Stephen Curry, Warriors, QUESTIONABLE (pelvis):
Curry could miss his 13th game of the season, including his third straight, Friday against the Pelicans due to his pelvic injury, although he was able to go through a brief team scrimmage Thursday. Following its 112-86 blowout loss to the Heat on Tuesday in Curry’s most recent absence, Golden State is now 7-5 without its future Hall of Famer this season.
Whenever Curry is off the floor, it’s Jonathan Kuminga who leads Golden State with a 30.1% usage rate and also averages 22.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes in that scenario. Among the starters, it’s Jimmy Butler who unsurprisingly sets the pace with 22.9 points per 36 minutes when Curry is off the court, and he also sports a 25.5% usage rate in that split.
If Curry can’t play Friday, Brandon Podziemski is a strong candidate to continue handling the point-guard role while Moses Moody handles shooting guard duties.
Cade Cunningham, Pistons, OUT (calf):
Cunningham will miss his eighth game this season, including his third straight, Friday against the Cavaliers due to his calf injury. Detroit has won the first two games of Cunningham’s current absence, most recently thumping the Spurs by a 122-96 score Tuesday to move its record without the star guard to 4-3.
Second-unit veterans Malik Beasley and Dennis Schroder lead the Pistons with respective usage rates of 24.9% and 24.7% when Cunningham is off the floor. Among the starters, it’s Tobias Harris who leads the way with a 21.1% usage rate while seeing a jump from 11.2 shot attempts per game overall to 14.5 per 36 minutes.
In Cunningham’s absence Friday, Schroder is likely to draw another start at point guard after averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 29 minutes on the first unit in the first two games of Cunningham’s current absence.
LaMelo Ball, Hornets, OUT (ankle):
Ball will sit out his 26th game of the season Friday against the Raptors due to his troublesome ankle. Charlotte is an abysmal 2-23 without its star point guard this season, most recently falling without him by a 141-106 score to the Thunder on March 21.
The biggest beneficiary these days when Ball is off the floor is Miles Bridges, who sports a 32.1% usage rate (compared to 23.4% when sharing the floor with him) and is clocking a team-high 23.9 points per 36 minutes in that split. Bridges’ shot attempts also climb to 21.1 per 36, compared to 17.2 when Ball is also on the floor.
In Ball’s absence Friday, all of KJ Simpson, Damion Baugh and Nick Smith could be in line for minutes at point guard, and it’s worth noting it was Simpson who started in Ball’s most recent absence three games ago.
Zion Williamson, Pelicans, OUT (back):
Williamson is set to miss his 44th game of the season Friday against the Warriors due to a back injury that’s already cost him the previous three contests. New Orleans now sports a 10-33 record without Zion this season after defeating the 76ers by a 112-99 score in his most recent absence Monday.
When both Williamson and C.J. McCollum (OUT-foot) are both off the floor, the top usage rate in terms of players not ruled out for the season belongs to Jordan Hawkins, who sports a 25.0% figure and per-36 averages of 18.3 points (on 17.9 FGA attempts), 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
In Zion’s absence Friday, two-way player Keion Brooks could draw another start at small forward after posting 10 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal against Philadelphia in his first career stint with the first unit Monday.
CJ McCollum, Pelicans, OUT (foot):
McCollum will miss his 18th game of the season Friday versus the Warriors, his second straight absence after also sitting against the 76ers on Monday for what was attributed to rest. New Orleans is 3-14 without McCollum this season after the win over Philadelphia.
While Hawkins currently leads the Pelicans overall in usage as noted in Williamson’s entry above, it’s Jose Alvarado who sets the pace among current starters with 21.4% usage and 15.6 points, 7.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per 36 minutes.
In McCollum’s absence, Alvarado may be the likeliest candidate for point-guard duties while Hawkins remains in the starting five at two-guard. The duo provided matching nine-point tallies as the starting backcourt in McCollum’s absence versus Philadelphia.
Jamal Murray, Nuggets, QUESTIONABLE (hamstring):
Murray could sit out his 10th game of the season Friday against the Jazz due to his hamstring issue. Denver has had minimal trouble when Murray has been out this season, going 7-2 and winning four out of the last five in that split.
When Murray is absent, Nikola Jokic, who’s listed as probable and fully expected to play Friday, leads the Nuggets with a 34.4% usage rate and team-high figures in points (33.5) and assists (10.4) per 36 minutes in that split. Russell Westbrook (25.6%), Aaron Gordon (20.6%) and Michael Porter Jr. (20.2%) are next on the leaderboard.
If Murray is out, Westbrook should draw the start at point guard and has averaged 17.0 points, 7.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals across 34.4 minutes in eight March turns with the first unit.
Damian Lillard, Bucks, OUT (calf):
Lillard will sit out his 15th game of the season Friday against the Knicks and is considered out indefinitely. Milwaukee is 8-6 without Lillard this season after its aforementioned loss to Denver in his most recent absence Wednesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is unsurprisingly the Bucks’ usage leader whenever Lillard is off the court, as the big man boasts a 35.3% figure in that scenario. However, as already noted, Antetokounmpo is questionable for Friday’s game due to a foot sprain. Therefore, as detailed in Antetokounmpo’s entry, Kuzma is the member of Milwaukee’s current first unit that stands to benefit the most if the Greek Freak joins Dame on the bench.
Porter should get the starting nod at point guard again in Lillard’s stead Friday after totaling 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds with a team-high 30.1% usage rate versus the Nuggets.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks, OUT (ankle):
Brunson is set to sit out his 12th game of the season Friday against the Bucks due to his ankle spain. New York is now 6-5 without Brunson this season following its 126-113 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.
Karl-Anthony Towns continues to lead Knicks regulars with a 32.9% usage rate when Brunson is off the court, adding a team-high 30.7 points, along with 13.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per 36 minutes in that scenario. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are a distant second and third among the starters with matching 22.1% usage sans Brunson.
With Miles McBride (groin) and Cameron Payne (ankle) both out Friday, Tyler Kolek and Delon Wright are likely to handle the majority, if not all, of New York’s minutes at point guard.
Additional notable short-term injuries: Bobby Portis, Bucks, OUT (suspension); Bradley Beal, Suns, OUT (hamstring); Miles McBride, Knicks, OUT (groin); RJ Barrett, Raptors OUT (rest); Cameron Payne, Knicks, OUT (ankle); Lauri Markkanen, Jazz, OUT (rest); John Collins, Jazz, OUT (ankle)
NBA Injury Report Betting Guide
With a long 82-game season that’s played out on the unforgiving surface of the hardwood – not to mention the fact players are faster and more physical than ever – injuries are a nightly albatross for coaches, players, fans and bettors alike to contend with from their respective perspectives.
Pay Attention To Star Players
For those of us spectators that like to add a little monetary incentive to the games we consume, NBA injuries to frontline players are particularly impactful due to the compact number of players on a first unit and the inherent dependency the production of each typically has on their teammates.
Usage Rate Is Key
Perhaps the single most revelatory metric for gauging the impact of a player’s absence is usage rate, commonly defined as a measure of what percentage of a team’s plays a specific player is involved in by touching the ball in some form.
There is no shortage of tools available that pinpoint what players benefit the most from another’s absence in terms of a rise in usage rate, and those same tools also typically provide each player’s average in all major categories when another specified player is off the floor.
Line and Total Movement Impact
The bigger the name in terms of an injured player, the bigger the impact naturally is on betting strategy.
However, that in itself is a multi-layered scenario – there are many factors that go into determining how to go about wagering on a team missing a major star on any given night, including how much line and totals movement has occurred as a result of the news.
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