NBA Playoffs First-Round Injury Report: Khris Middleton & Devin Booker To Miss Rest of First Round
After just the first few games of the First Round, crucial players on multiple teams have sustained injuries that will keep them out for more than a few games. Notably, Devin Booker strained his hamstring and will be out for the remainder of Phoenix’s first-round series against the Pelicans. Khris Middleton sprained his MCL on Wednesday night and will be out indefinitely for the Milwaukee Bucks. Let’s take a look at the most important injuries affecting the NBA teams in the postseason. For the sake of avoiding speculation (because who knows what could happen…), we will not dive into the Ben Simmons and Zion Williamson injury situations.
Click HERE For more NBA injury updates!
New Injuries
PG Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks (Ankle)
Luka Doncic was ruled out of Game 3 as a result of his tweaked ankle. Though he is a GTD for Game 4, the Mavs have been relying on Jalen Brunson who erupted for a career-high 41 points for a crucial win in Game 2. Spencer Dinwiddie has also been playing 30+ minutes per game since Luka has been inactive. While Brunson will likely lead the Mavs in scoring, expect Dinwiddie’s increased role to continue until Doncic returns to the court. One player who’s really stepped it up has been Maxi Kleber who's scored 25 points and 17 points respectively in Games 2 and 3. Last night, Dinwiddie's heroics including a decisive three-point shot led the Mavs to a strong Game 3 victory over Utah.
SG Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Hamstring)
Devin Booker strained his hamstring in Game 2 after 25 minutes on the floor where he scored 31 points (12-19 FG) including seven three-pointers. He will likely miss most of, if not the rest of Phoenix’s first-round series against the Pelicans. After hitting a shot, you could see D-Book on the sidelines trying to mask the pain and discomfort of his landing after hitting the field goal. Booker then went straight to the bench.
The most recent reports indicate that Booker is expected to miss between two-to-three weeks. This implies that he will be out for at least the remainder of the first round. Landry Shamet got his first minutes of the postseason in Game 2 and will continue to see his role off of the bench increase in importance as long as he plays efficiently. You could also expect increased offense from Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges who will likely take a few more threes tonight instead of Booker.
Khris Middleton sprained the MCL of his left knee in Game 2 of Milwaukee’s first-round series against the Chicago Bulls. He will likely be out more than three weeks. As a result, Middleton will not be available for the rest of the first round, and likely the entirety of the second round if Milwaukee gets past Chicago. Expect Bobby Portis to return to 25-30+ minutes per game like he had this season without Brook Lopez in the rotation.
The Bucks could use him as a wing instead of Middleton since he's a strong shooter with size. This season, Portis averaged 14.6 points per game on 47.9% shooting from the field and 9.1 rebounds per contest. He shot an impressive 39.3% from downtown, especially for a 6’10’’ big man. If I was Mike Budenholzer, that's who I'd want to put in the rotation to make up for Middleton's minutes. I'd also expect Brook Lopez to be scoring 20+ points per game especially based on how he's performed through the end of the season. With Middleton out, Lopez could shoot more threes than usual. For him anyways, the majority of his point production is from three-point field goals and mid-range jump shots, both of which he's been hitting. The main beneficiary from Middleton's injury will be PG Jrue Holiday who finished the season shooting 50.1% from the field and 41.1% from downtown. He should see a major boost in offensive production after being relatively quiet in the first two games of the first round. Holiday scored 15 points in each of the first two games of Milwaukee's first-round series against the Bulls.
Amidst the Hawks' play-in victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Clint Capela hurt his knee and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the game. The Hawks have indicated that Capela will at the very least not be available for the remainder of their first-round series. John Collins has returned to the Hawks' frontcourt and is currently the team’s best available big man. Scottie Barnes tweaked his ankle in Game 1 and did not play in games 2 and 3 of the Raptors' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. As a result, OG Anunoby’s role on Toronto’s offense has grown substantially. As long as Barnes is out of the rotation for the Raptors, Anunoby should keep playing 30+ minutes per game and scoring at least 15 points per contest. Precious Achiuwa had a great Game 3, producing 20 points (9-11 FG), six rebounds, and one rejection in 36 minutes on the floor. This season, Achiuwa played 23.6 MPG which indicates that his role for the Raptors immediately increased when Barnes went out. The ROY candidate is listed as doubtful for Game 4 as the Philadelphia 76ers look to put a close to this first-round series.
Learn more about our fantasy basketball tools and premium products! FantasySP is developing betting tools to provide users with something nobody else in the industry can offer. Upgrade to an Edge+ account today and get 50% off your first year at just $99.99 for the year. After a year, the price is going to increase to $199. Lock in your special early-bird deal today using the promo code: earlybird.SG Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (Sprained MCL)
C Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks (Hyperextended Knee)
PF Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors (Ankle)