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January 11, 2025, 12:17 am
Injury Report
Postponements
Spurs @ Lakers and Hornets @ Clippers scheduled for 10:30 ET on Saturday night have been postponed.
Update: Now Rockets-Hawks has been postponed due to icy weather in Atlanta.
Kawhi Leonard (personal) and Cam Reddish (back) were cleared for these games before the postponement, while Jeremy Sochan and Jordan Miller were listed as questionable. Note that as we move forward.
This now becomes a five-game slate….now it’s a four-game slate.
As a side note and reminder, Hornets-Lakers was also postponed a couple of days ago so there are a few games that need rescheduling moving forward.
Houston Rockets @ Atlanta Hawks
Game Time: 3:00 pm ET (postponed)
DraftKings Lines
HOU -4.5 (-192), ATL +4.5 (+160)
Game Total: 234Key Storylines
Less Talk, More Action: We keep getting told that Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) is close, and yet he continues to be doubtful every game. This after being questionable and ruled out at the last minute for two or three games a couple weeks ago. At this point, there is no sense is holding Eason if it is a detriment since his return timeline is unknown. However, the minute that we get positive news, he should be an immediate grab with the Jabari Smith Jr. injury also boosting him.
Jalen J remains out: The young forward had been dealing with a right shoulder issue for some time. I don’t expect this to be an extended absence, but it could be a case of the Hawks just giving him time during this past week to try to get it right, instead of the intermittent day off here and there. The Hawks are usually good about giving us timelines if an injury is a longer-term one and we have not heard anything like that so far.Stream of the Game
This game has now been postponed, so don’t stream from it.
Utah Jazz @ Phoenix Suns
Game Time: 5:00 pm ET
DraftKings Lines
UTA +11 (+425), PHO -11 (-575)
Game Total: 228.5Key Storylines
Isaiah Collier improving? Ehhh…maybe: The rookie guard is at least a nice source of assists. He has been plagued by an inability to score the ball with horrid efficiency and turnovers at times though. The bar was pretty low before, so the “improving” can be taken lightly but 18 assists in his last two games with at least six dimes in each of his last four games is useful…if you can stomach all of the other deficiencies…
Jusuf Nurkic DNP-CD: Are we just overreacting here? The Suns started the season pretty well, then the floor was pulled out from under them when Kevin Durant got injured and they’ve been stumbling around ever since. However, the team is mostly healthy again and Royce O’Neale was upgraded to doubtful, indicating a return is on the horizon, albeit not likely in this game. Perhaps they just needed a run of continuity?The Jusuf Nurkic DNP is odd to me. The fact that you have to start career super-backup Mason Plumlee who is past his prime…is also odd. Or that you have to give big minutes to your raw, albeit promising a tad undersized second-round big-man prospect Oso Ighodaro. My honest assessment? The Suns are confusing.
Also, I know Bradley Beal has been great in two of the three games off the bench so far. If he slows down for a few games, please do not overreact and drop him.
Stream of the Game
If available, I’d suggest Grayson Allen, otherwise, Isaiah Collier is an assists specialist in every sense of the word who you can consider as a one-cat stream.
Alternatives:
Ryan Dunn (3-and-D)
Mason Plumlee (for rebounds)
Brice Sensabaugh (points, 3s – listed as questionable)
Johnny Juzang (3s, points – listed as questionable)
–deep league line–
Oso Ighodaro (low-end general stats)
Kyle Filipowski (low-end general stats)
Svi Mykhailiuk (3s, points)Toronto Raptors @ Detroit Pistons
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
DraftKings Lines
TOR +5 (+164), DET -5 (-198)
Game Total: 230.5Key Storylines
Hmm, maybe they’re just bad/tanking: Remember when Jakob Poeltl slipped up and said the aim wasn’t for the Raptors to win many games this season? Well, it was sort of brushed off since the team didn’t look that bad on paper. If anything, they’re just missing a true designated point-of-attack defender in the starting five. Jamal Shead and Davion Mitchell are that mold of player, but they’re on the smaller size and not really complementary offensively. Gradey Dick is a nice complement offensively, but for fantasy, it seems he won’t have enough usage to just bludgeon points and treys even on the nights when the shots aren’t falling as prolifically…so now he’s just a stream guy. Bruce Brown is being eased in slowly or perhaps protected (for a trade? Though, him standing out more would help). Also, please remain patient with Immanuel Quickley. Remember, the injury was to his elbow, so he wasn’t shooting or passing for a while until a couple weeks before he returned.
Rotation Conundrums: Malik Beasley finally started this week, though he was practically already used like a starter off the bench. Additionally, Tim Hardaway Jr. missed the last game so Ausar Thompson and Beasley started together. What happens when Hardaway is back? Does Beasley resume his bench-gunner status? Does Hardaway claim the bench-gunner role in hopes of finding some consistency again? Or is it Thompson, since his lack of shooting is not a good complement for starting lineup’s offense (but his defense is oh, so fun).
The Pistons rotation suggests to us that whoever comes off the bench should still see adequate minutes (repeat that, emphasize it), but let’s see what happens if Hardaway (questionable) is cleared.
Stream of the Game
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