There are eight games on Monday’s NBA slate, with NBATV hosting the day’s lone national broadcast with Warriors-Nuggets. Here’s the day’s injury report, along with the relevant fantasy and betting implications.
NBA Injury Report: March 7
Atlanta Hawks vs. Detroit Pistons
Onyeka Okungwu (concussion) available
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) questionable
Okungwu is back, but will be behind John Collins and Clint Capela in the frontcourt. If Huerter sits, look for Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari to absorb his minutes on the wing.
Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Vucevic (hamstring) questionable
If Vucevic cannot go, Tristan Thompson will be set for a bigger role. He may not start, but he’ll be the primary center for the Bulls in a matchup against Joel Embiid.
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat
Kyle Lowry (personal) OUT
Caleb Martin (Achilles) expected to play
Victor Oladipo (quad) available
Update — Dipo will be back in the lineup for the first time all season. He’s going to be on a hard minutes restriction, expected to be around 15 minutes.
Lowry remains out, but the big news for the Heat is the potential return of Oladipo. If he’s even a contributor, this helps Miami’s title chances. We’ll see how he responds to game action if he does play.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Anfernee Simons (quad) OUT
Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) OUT
Justise Winslow (Achilles) OUT
Simons is out, so Keon Johnson might be the only player worth monitoring for the Trail Blazers the rest of the way.
Anthony Edwards (knee) OUT
Patrick Beverley (ankle) available
Taurean Prince (back) available
D’Angelo Russell (hamstring) OUT
Update — Add D’Lo to the list of T-Wolves players on the injury report. Russell is a new addition, which feels a bit iffy for his status tonight vs. the Blazers. If Edwards, Russell, Pat Bev and Prince all sit, Portland is getting a ton of points on the spread. That may change with the Russell news. Getting that line before D’Lo’s status could be advantageous yet risky.
Edwards is doubtful and Prince is questionable, making Jaden McDaniels a potentially great value add in fantasy/DFS lineups Monday. If Beverley sits, D’Angelo Russell and Jaylen Nowall are in line for more minutes.
Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks
Rudy Gobert (calf) questionable
Gobert is on the injury report as of this afternoon as questionable to play vs. the Mavericks. That means a few things. If Gobert sits, Hassan Whiteside becomes a chalky option in NBA DFS on DraftKings. It also opens up his prop market and props for some Mavericks players. Gobert is a force down low and defending the paint. If he’s out, exploring the rebounding props for Mavericks bigs makes some sense. Whiteside is a solid rebounder but isn’t Gobert defensively.
Luka Doncic (toe) probable
Maxi Kleber (back) probable
Jalen Brunson (foot) OUT
Doncic looks set to go, which is good news for the Mavericks. If Kleber can’t play, Dwight Powell would be the primary big man again for Dallas. If Brunson can’t go, look for Trey Burke and Dorian Finney-Smith to get more looks offensively.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
LeBron James (knee) questionable
Talen Horton-Tucker (ankle) probable
James is listed as questionable, but he’s going to be ready to go. Horton-Tucker is also going to play, but might not have much value unless you need a low-cost play.
Dejounte Murray (calf) available
Devin Vassell (groin) doubtful
Lonnie Walker (illness) doubtful
Update — Murray is going to be able to play against the Lakers tonight while it appears Vassell and Walker won’t be able to go.
If Murray and Vassell both sit, the Spurs will likely lean on Tre Jones and Lonnie Walker in the backcourt. If Murray sits and Vassell goes, the latter becomes a nice value addition as he’ll get more creation opportunities.
Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets
Stephen Curry (rest) OUT
Klay Thompson (rest) OUT
Andrew Wiggins (rest) OUT
Gary Payton II (knee) OUT
Juan Toscano-Anderson (illness) questionable
Otto Porter (illness) questionable
Update — Porter and JTA have been added to the injury report due to “illness” for tonight. Seems like the Dubs are just using this as a throwaway game. Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga figure to play big minutes. If you can get any type of action on their props, go for it. All three will be very chalky in DFS tonight, especially if JTA and Porter sit. Issue with that is whether or not the Warriors will even have enough bodies to play.
The Warriors are going to rest their guys on the front end of the back-to-back set, so this is the time to roster Jordan Poole, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Juan Toscano-Anderson. Even Otto Porter Jr. is worth a look here.
Will Barton (ankle) TBD
Barton injured his ankle Sunday against the Pelicans and did not return to the game, so we’ll see if he’s able to go here. If he can’t play, the Nuggets will lean on Monte Morris, Aaron Gordon and Bones Hyland as secondary scoring options.
New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings
Obi Toppin (hamstring) OUT
Nerlens Noel (foot) OUT
Toppin missed Sunday’s game and is likely out here, but there’s been no official designation as of yet.
Richaun Holmes (back) TBD
Jeremy Lamb (hip) OUT
Holmes played through this issue in his last game, so there’s a chance he’s over the back injury. If he is listed questionable and eventually ruled out, Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len are in line for more minutes.