Injury Report

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Teams that have a Sunday-Monday B2B:

Hawks, Pistons, Clippers, Pacers, Heat, Wolves, Thunder, Wizards

That is literally half of the slate.

Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart and Alex Sarr sat out on Sunday.

Rudy Gobert has missed a few games in a row.

Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell were out.

TJ McConnell, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic and Jaylen Clark exited Sunday’s games with injuries.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Detroit Pistons

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

LAC +1 (-110), DET -1 (-110)
Game Total 223.5

Key Storylines

Norman Powell for Most Improved: This isn’t a fantasy take, but a real-life one. I said it on X/Twitter recently that Powell being the leading scorer on a (current) playoff team is a more substantial improve than a former No. 1 pick who had injuries and poor rosters in his first few years becoming an All-Star. That doesn’t account for Dyson Daniels’ rise as well. 

We have already been told that Ben Simmons will sit on Monday.

Ausar Watch Continues: Ausar Thompson is giving us solid all-around value in recent games (minus whatever he does on Sunday, as I’m writing this before that). I would still like to see him playing 25–plus minutes regularly but he is a 12-teamer right now. This is a back-to-back team but Thompson hasn’t been regularly sitting B2Bs. 

Stream of the Game

Kris Dunn:  Assists and steals.

Alternatives:

Derrick Jones
Malik Beasley
Isaiah Stewart
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Amir Coffey (if one of Leonard/Powell remains out – points and 3s)

–deep league line–
Drew Eubanks
Dennis Schroder
Ron Holland

Denver Nuggets @ Indiana Pacers

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

DEN -4.5 (-185), IND +4.5 (+154)
Game Total 246.5

Key Storylines

Look for a bounce-back: The Lakers brought a solid gameplan to the table with their approach in denying and doubling Nikola Jokic, but as with any great player, the same tactics rarely work multiple times. Good luck to the Pacers if they try to adopt it. 

Nesmith sighting: Aaron Nesmith is coming off a season-high 19 points on Sunday. He seems to finally be getting back into a rhythm and might approach some streaming value. TJ McConnell exited on Sunday with an ankle sprain, so avoid streaming him. 

Stream of the Game

Andrew Nembhard:  I expect McConnell to be sidelined. 

Alternatives:

Obi Toppin
Aaron Nesmith
Bennedict Mathurin (probably not available though)

–deep league line–
Ben Sheppard
Julian Strawther
Zeke Nnaji

Chicago Bulls @ Philadelphia 76ers

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

CHI +3.5 (+140), PHI -3.5 (-166)
Game Total 231.5

Key Storylines

Dosunmu shoulder subluxation: On Saturday, Billy Donovan mentioned that Dosunmu (out with shoulder soreness) had some shoulder instability. This is an injury which could become a longer-term absence but we don’t have any word on that besides him being out on Monday. It would further secure “opportunities” for Matas Buzelis and Lonzo Ball, if they can make use of it. 

Embiid exploring options: The Shams update on Joel Embiid looking at alternative options to address his left knee injury is alarming, but not surprising in all honesty. He has not been moving well on the court and the Sixers are going nowhere, so the tank to keep their top-6 protected first-round pick may be coming. Embiid is officially still questionable for Monday at the time of writing, joined by Tyrese Maxey who is also questionable. 

Stream of the Game

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