Tuesday's NBA slate features six games with several injuries and questionable players. We'll analyze two situations:
- Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets: 7 p.m. ET
- Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks: 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Note: The information below is as of 4:45 p.m. ET. Check out our live news feed and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and analysis.
Sixers C Joel Embiid (rest) is out.
Injury background: Embiid is resting the first game of a back-to-back set. He'll play vs. the Celtics on Wednesday.
Tonight's impact: Embiid recently missed the first eight games following the All-Star break. The Sixers have notched a 5-7 record sans Embiid this season, and they went 4-4 without him since the All-Star break.
Boban Marjanovic, Jonah Bolden and Amir Johnson all started multiple games in Embiid's recent absence, and Mike Scott and Ben Simmons also spent time as the nominal center. Marjanovic has been the backup center with Embiid healthy, and he's played at least 20 minutes four times this season. He profiles as the value option at $4,100 on DraftKings if he starts due to his per-minute production.
Simmons averaged a team-high 46.86 FanDuel points per game in the eight-game stretch Embiid missed post-All-Star break, per the Trends tool. When Embiid has been off the court over the previous month, Simmons has averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute, per the NBA On/Off tool. Simmons also averaged 50.5 DraftKings points in the first three games against the Hornets this season — all with Embiid in the lineup.
The center rotations for both teams are mysterious. Bismack Biyombo has started the past two games with Willy Hernangomez earning consecutive DNP-CDs for the Hornets. Frank Kaminsky has been the backup center in the interim. The matchups will dictate who gets minutes at the five for both teams, amplifying the uncertainty.
The Sixers opened as one-point road underdogs, and they are currently favored. Cody Zeller (knee) is out for the Hornets, and Tony Parker will rest. When both have been off the court, the Hornets have registered a 114.0 Defensive Rating and a -4.3 Net Rating, per Cleaning the Glass. The Hornets lost all four games Zeller and Parker jointly missed by an average of 15 points.
Milwaukee Bucks
Injuries: Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle), Pau Gasol (ankle), Sterling Brown (wrist), Malcolm Brogdon (heel) and Donte DiVincenzo (heel) are out. Ersan Ilyasova (illness) is probable.
Injury background: Antetokounmpo suffered a sprained right ankle late in Sunday's loss. He played the final 9:34, but he wore a supportive sleeve on his ankle after the game and was seen sporting a noticeable limp.
Afterward, Antetokounmpo said:
"[The ankle] feels good. I tweaked it a little bit. At first you feel a little bit of pain, but when the adrenaline kicks in you are able to keep playing. It was a big game. I just wanted to keep playing."
Ilyasova is a new addition to the injury report with an illness. DiVincenzo has dealt with heel bursitis for most of the season. Brown has been sidelined the past 11 games with no firm update on his return.
Tonight's impact: The Bucks are already without Malcolm Brogdon (heel) for the rest of the regular season. Nikola Mirotic started in Sunday's game with Brogdon sidelined, but coach Mike Budenholzer has stated that fifth spot in the starting lineup remains fluid.
The Bucks have gone 3-2 in the games Antetokounmpo hasn't played this season. Those wins have come by at least 11 points, and four of the five games were against teams with losing records.
When Antetokounmpo and Brogdon have been off the court since the trade deadline, Khris Middleton has led the Bucks with a 35.9% usage rate and 1.25 DraftKings points per minute. He'll be a lock in cash games if Antetokounmpo is unable to play.
Eric Bledsoe has led the Bucks with a +16.2% assist rate differential and +3.7% rebound rate differential over the same duration sans Antetokounmpo and Brogdon, and he's been a sturdy option in cash games. If Antetokounmpo sits, Bledsoe will join Middleton as an attractive play in all formats.
On a team level, the Bucks have maintained a +7.6 Net Rating sans Antetokounmpo, Brogdon and the players no longer on the roster. The defense has slightly regressed in those minutes, but the offense has maintained its proficiency.
The Lakers have ranked in the bottom seven in offensive and defensive efficiency over the last seven games with Brandon Ingram sidelined. They've also been one of the worst rebounding teams over that span. If Antetokounmpo does play, he'll claim an elite matchup, as he currently ranks fifth in rebounds per game — averaging more than double the amount of any other Buck.
The Bucks are presently implied to score 124.5 points — a number that has been matched by three other teams this season. They scored 131 points against the Lakers earlier this month, but their current implied total will be difficult to match if Antetokounmpo is unavailable.
