Last Updated on January 24, 2026 1:50 am by Mike Passador | Published: January 24, 2026

Friday’s biggest news broke deep into the night as Giannis Antetokounmpo was forced out of Milwaukee’s loss to the Nuggets with yet another right calf injury. Doc Rivers said after the game that he didn’t like what he was seeing in the second half and finally pulled Antetokounmpo after the Bucks’ superstar insisted on staying in the contest. The worst quote of all came from Antetokounmpo himself, who said that he’s expecting to go for an MRI and be told that he’s out for another 4-to-6 weeks.

Now, that’s just what Antetokounmpo thinks the medical staff will say, and not the official timeline yet. However, given his calf problems this year and the nature of the injury, it would be shocking if he didn’t miss time. Milwaukee is already out of the Play-In and Antetokounmpo facing a long-term absence would be the end of the season, unofficially.

The real question is whether that means we’ve seen the last of Antetokounmpo in a Bucks uniform. It would be a sad, unfitting end to say the least. Antetokounmpo means so much to the franchise and city that the last shot of him in a Bucks jersey should be anything other than him being consoled by his brother on the bench with his calf wrapped. Everything is pointing towards a trade being the most logical way out but it would be an awful way to end a Hall-of-Fame tenure. Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma are the main targets for fantasy purposes but an Antetokounmpo-less roster would careen to the basement so fast that you can’t be sure what exactly will play out, even in the short term.

For now, we wait for that MRI.

Also, just a quick heads up before we get to the rest: keep an eye out for weather-related delays and cancellations. Between the safety of fans getting to and from the games and the travel difficulties of teams getting city to city, the schedule might be changing. Stay safe and warm out there.

Top Pickups

This is the “general must-add” section regardless of the slate. If these players are being overlooked and remain chilling on the waiver wire, consider adding them to your squad.

Collin Gillespie (35%)

Gillespie is going to get added in lots of places because Devin Booker rolled his right ankle on Friday night, but he shouldn’t be on waivers to begin with. He’s now up to top-50 (9-cat) value on the season after cooking up 16 points (6-of-12 FG), six rebounds, four assists, two steals and three 3-pointers against Atlanta and has been stacking that output with or without Booker at his side. We have been singing his praises since last season and he has arrived, so stop dragging your feet and add Gillespie wherever you can. It should be way too late for that in competitive leagues but his Yahoo roster percentage continues to sit way too low.

Jock Landale (17%)

Landale was questionable to play on Friday for personal reasons, but he ended up giving it a go and the Grizzlies and fantasy GMs are both happy he did. The big man hit for 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 11 rebounds, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes against the Pelicans. He’s a top-90 value in the last month and top-40 in the last two weeks as the Grizzlies frontcourt has once again been depleted by injuries. This won’t last forever but until Landale cools off, he is absolutely someone that needs to be rostered in 12-team leagues. He tied for the team lead in playing time tonight and the coaching staff clearly trusts him.

Cam Spencer (20%)

And yet, Landale is not the Grizzlies player we would run to add first. That would be Cam Spencer, who started in place of Ja Morant (elbow) tonight. Spencer picking up spot starts is nothing new but he was getting dropped in quite a few leagues once Morant returned for the previous pair of games. We like Spencer as an every-night contributor regardless of Morant’s health, but the potential for him to step into a starting spot should Morant get traded away means that he’s very much worth holding onto — at least through the deadline to see what shakes out. He has been a top-100 guy over the last couple of weeks and while both Morant and Ty Jerome (calf) could ruin the party a little bit, we’ve seen enough to believe that Spencer has carved out minutes for himself. This coaching staff in particular has not been shy about doling out minutes to the guys who are earning them and Spencer has done just that. He had 21 points (7-of-9 FG, 3-for-4 FT), five rebounds, 11 assists, a block and four 3-pointers in 28 minutes. If Morant gets traded and the Grizzlies let Spencer run with the starting gig, he has league-winning potential. That’s exactly the kind of guy you add proactively.

Games

Wizards – Hornets @ 12:00 ET
Knicks – 76ers @ 3:00 ET
Warriors – Timberwolves @ 5:30 ET
Cavaliers – Magic @ 7:00 ET
Celtics – Bulls @ 8:00 ET
Lakers – Mavericks @ 8:30 ET
Heat – Jazz @ 9:30 ET

Teams on Second Night of a Back-to-Back

Note: Teams on the second night of a back-to-back must submit their injury report by the release of the 4:30 pm ET Official NBA Injury Report. 

BOS, CLE

Derrick White is expected to be back after sitting out on Friday, though this leaves the door open for someone like Jaylen Brown or Payton Pritchard to sit out on Saturday.

On the Cavs side of things it should be all systems go, though Donovan Mitchell has gotten rest days already this season. Their standing is a little too precarious to expect aggressive rest for the top dogs but it can’t be ruled out entirely.

Teams on First Night of a Back-to-Back

DAL, MIA

Daniel Gafford is back after his latest right ankle injury so expect him for something like 15 minutes on Saturday and then a day off on Sunday. Cooper Flagg is also in the running for a maintenance day given his recent ankle sprain, but he’s in the clear for this game.

Davion Mitchell and Norm Powell have been on the injury report pretty regularly over the last week or so but neither is someone we’re expecting to sit one of these weekend games. If anything, Powell might get a day off to close out a five-in-seven stretch for the Heat given how important he is to their postseason fate with Tyler Herro (ribs) out indefinitely again.

Top Stories to Watch

Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable to play on Saturday and whether he does or does not, we should learn something about the Knicks. Can a healthy Towns lock in and play well even though his number isn’t being called as frequently as he’s used to? Do the Knicks end up looking better without him as the surging Mitchell Robinson continues to impact the game by dominating the glass? Outwardly, the Knicks are projecting faith that things will turn around here, but if the chance to trade for a big fish presents itself and KAT is still in pout mode, surely they’ll take a good long look. Everything about Towns’ game, from his efficiency to his effort to his basic body language, is going to be a story line until he plays his way out of this funk.

On the other side of that matchup is Joel Embiid. His availability is always a question mark but he’s expected to suit up for this one. He played a whopping 45:36 on Thursday vs. Houston and we’ll be watching to see how he looks after an insane workload. That Embiid is healthy enough to even be considered for that kind of playing time is a feat in and of itself, but it could have major long-term ramifications. If Embiid doesn’t look so spry tomorrow, it would be a red flag given his recent career trajectory.

The Warriors gave us one blowout loss and one disappointing loss to open up the post-Jimmy Butler portion of their schedule. Those games weren’t the most meaningful in terms of figuring out the new-look rotation so we’re going to be keeping a close eye on things until roles stabilize, at least to the extent that they can with Steve Kerr at the helm. Jonathan Kuminga will miss this game after two solid performances, which should open things up while also removing one of the safer bets from the equation.

Daniel Gafford is expected to return from his right ankle sprain and that alone will be some kind of salve for a Mavs team down to Dwight Powell and Moussa Cisse (who is sick at the moment), though we wouldn’t expect Gafford to play a ton tomorrow. Everything is lining up for Gafford to be a must-add guy in fantasy hoops but he can’t get out of his own way with the injuries this year. Maybe Saturday will be the start of him turning the corner.

The Jazz rotation is a mess but that was a known issue coming into the season. Fantasy managers can dodge the “will Jusuf Nurkic play” question — he’s actually on the injury report and listed as doubtful — and Lauri Markkanen is questionable. Brice Sensabaugh’s hot streak came to a crashing halt in the last one, but he would be in line for a big game tomorrow if Markkanen can’t go. After that, it’s hoping and praying. Walter Clayton Jr., Svi Mykhailiuk and Taylor Hendricks have all had their moments in the sun. A couple of these guys are going to break out in silly season and although the Jazz rotation is anything but predictable, paying close attention to the deployment now could pay off down the line.

Stay up to date on news for this slate with our NBA Blurb Feed! 

Check out our Live Injury Report to see who is probable, questionable, doubtful or sidelined for this slate!

Streamers

We are not including players who are either most likely on a roster or should be on a roster.

Standard Formats

Kyle Filipowski – points, rebounds, blocks, 3-pointers.

Brice Sensabaugh – points, rebounds, 3-pointers (if Lauri Markkanen is out).

Bub Carrington – points, rebounds, assists, 3-pointers.

Marcus Smart – points, steals, assists, 3-pointers.

Kevin Huerter – points, rebounds, 3-pointers, steals.

Ayo Dosunmu – points, rebounds, assists.

Moses Moody – steals, 3-pointers.

Goga Bitadze – blocks.

Isaiah Collier – points, assists.

Justin Champagnie – a little of everything.

Deep Leagues

Simone Fontecchio – points, rebounds, 3-pointers.

Buddy Hield – points, 3-pointers.

Tristan da Silva – steals, 3-pointers.

Pelle Larsson – points, 3-pointers.

Dwight Powell – rebounds, blocks.

Jarred Vanderbilt – rebounds, steals.

Luka Garza – rebounds.

Noah Penda – steals, blocks.

Baylor Scheierman – 3-pointers.

Dru Smith – steals.

  Join our Discord:  Click Here to Join!

• About the Author
• Latest Posts

Mike Passador

Mike graduated from Boston University’s Dual Degree Program with a BA in Economics and a BS in Business with Concentrations in Marketing and Operations Management. He is a faithful supporter of Toronto sports and the Detroit Lions and is always ready to be let down. Tweet to him @Mike_Pandador, but if you badmouth Jose Calderon you might get blocked.

• Fantasy Basketball Daily Cheat Sheet: Saturday, January 24th Streamers & Adds
• Fantasy Basketball Daily Cheat Sheet: Wednesday, January 21st Streamers & Adds
• Deep League Pickups: Eyes on the Warriors