Tuesday’s NBA slate features six games with several injuries and questionable players. We’ll analyze the most important situation:
- Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors: 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Note: The information below is as of 10:30 a.m. ET. Check out our live news feed and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and analysis.
Golden State Warriors
Injuries: Klay Thompson (knee) and Andre Iguodala (back) are questionable. Alfonzo McKinnie (hip) is probable. Kevon Looney (pelvic) is out.
Injury background: Thompson is dealing with a sore right knee. He banged it in Thursday’s loss and missed Saturday’s victory. Thompson sat for most of Monday’s practice.
Coach Steve Kerr called Iguodala “banged up” following Monday’s practice and didn’t provide a specific injury. The Warriors later listed Iguodala with a tight lower back, and Iguodala received treatment rather than practice.
McKinnie started the last two games, but he was limited to seven minutes Saturday after suffering a bruised left hip. He practiced on Monday.
Looney is day-to-day with a strained pelvic, but he’ll sit for the second straight game tonight.
Tonight’s impact: When Thompson has been off the court, Stephen Curry has led the Warriors with a 40.4% usage rate and 1.67 DraftKings points per minute, per the NBA On/Off tool. Since DeMarcus Cousins debuted, Curry’s usage rate has declined to 38% and his per-minute production has plummeted to 1.46 on DraftKings — both team-highs still — sans Thompson.
McKinnie, if cleared to play, projects to have an expanded role if Iguodala or Thompson are unavailable. McKinnie or Damion Lee would likely start if Thompson is ruled out. In the games Iguodala has missed this season, Jonas Jerebko has averaged an additional 4.6 minutes per game.
Looney’s grasp on a rotation spot has slipped lately, and his recent slump and current absence have benefited Jordan Bell, who’s jumped Looney as the backup center. Bell and Draymond Green will likely get any center minutes when Cousins sits.
Bell has averaged 17.85 DraftKings points in 16.5 minutes per game in the last five games. Kerr has been reluctant to use Cousins in crunch time lately, even in games Iguodala has missed. Bell could fill that void if Iguodala is ruled out.
When Thompson, Iguodala and Looney have been off the court this season, Green has led the Warriors with a +4.6% rebound rate differential. He’s averaged 3.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 9.7 assists per 36 minutes without them, and his salary has decreased to $5,600 on DraftKings. In his last nine games against the Celtics, he’s averaged 43.78 DraftKings points per game, per the Trends tool.
Kerr condensed his rotation to nine players in the first game against the Celtics back in January. Over the last 10 games, Thompson, Curry and Kevin Durant have ranked in the top 22 in minutes per game. Over that span, Thompson, Iguodala, Bell, Curry and Cousins have been the only Warriors averaging a positive FantasyLabs’ Plus/Minus on DraftKings.
The Celtics have dropped to 17th with a 111.6 Defensive Rating since the beginning of February, per Cleaning the Glass. All but two of those games were without Aron Baynes, who returned to the lineup Sunday. In his 12 minutes, the Rockets registered a 123.7 Offensive Rating.
Thompson and Iguodala were credited with guarding Kyrie Irving the most possessions in the first meeting this season. Irving recorded 60.0 DraftKings points in 40 minutes. If both Thompson and Iguodala are unavailable, Irving will become an attractive play.
The Warriors had two days off since their last game and will have two days of rest afterward. When the Warriors have had two days of rest, their Offensive Rating has improved marginally to 117.8.
Photo credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Pictured: Klay Thompson
