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 Wednesday, Feb. 19
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The NBA eases back into action Wednesday with a one-game slate that features a pair of teams that recently tried to conduct some trade-deadline business to no avail, the Hornets and Lakers.
This article typically examines the top three confirmed or potential prominent absences on the night’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.
However, with Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (ankle) having been upgraded to probable Tuesday night, there are only two front-line players whose status is uncertain:
LeBron James, Lakers, QUESTIONABLE (foot/ankle):
James is at risk of missing his fifth game of the season Wednesday against the Hornets with the foot and ankle soreness that kept him from participating in the All-Star Game.
Los Angeles is 3-1 without James this season, but the recently traded Anthony Davis was there to help make up for his first three absences.
With Davis now in Dallas, Luka Doncic would naturally be due for a major boost in usage if LeBron sits out. Doncic has only played 9.5 minutes without James on the floor with him thus far in his nascent Lakers tenure, and the former Mavericks star sports a massive 55.8% usage rate in that scenario.
With AD off the roster, Austin Reaves now sports the second-highest usage rate on the Lakers with LeBron off the floor, with that figure checking in at 30.2%.
Reaves also boasts per-36 averages of 25.5 points, 7.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals in that scenario, while his shot attempts shoot up from 12.9 when playing alongside LeBron to 18.0 when the future Hall of Famer is on the bench.
The veteran duo of Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith would likely absorb all the power forward minutes if James sits out Wednesday.
In 25 total starts this season between the Nets and Lakers, Finney-Smith has averaged 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 41.9% from three-point range across 29.0 minutes per game.
Mark Williams, Hornets, GTD (non-injury related):
Williams’ status has been very murky due to the previously alluded to failed trade-deadline deal that, had it gone through, would have seen the big man suiting up for Los Angeles tonight.
The deal was ultimately rescinded due to a failed physical, and Williams is thought to have a good chance of returning to his starting center role with Charlotte on Wednesday.
Williams averaged 21.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per 32.1 minutes over his final nine starts before the attempted trade, a highly impressive stretch where he posted six double-doubles.
Assuming there are no conditioning issues that will lead to a minutes restriction, Williams should have a viable opportunity for a normal workload against a Lakers squad that’s actually played better against centers since Davis was traded, allowing a Western Conference-low 11.4 rebounds to the position in the last seven games.
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.