Daily NBA Injury Report and Analysis for January 13, 2026
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
The biggest injury headline on Tuesday’s NBA slate is in New Orleans, where Nikola Jokic remains out for the Denver Nuggets. Denver has still banked wins without him, but the team-level profile changes sharply, and the market typically has to reprice both Denver’s ceiling and the way their offense is created.
Across seven games, there are a handful of true needle-movers: Jokic, Anthony Edwards (out), and several high-usage guards and frontcourt pieces who either sit or are true game-time calls, including Norman Powell, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon. The most actionable edges come from teams with clear with-versus-without splits and opponents that can directly attack the missing role.
Phoenix Suns @ Miami Heat
Miami’s key swing piece is Norman Powell (day-to-day). Powell is producing 23.8 points per game on 48.2% shooting and 41.5% from three, and Miami’s results have dipped without him this season (2-4 without vs 18-15 with). If Powell sits, the Heat lose a primary shot-creator and spacer, which matters against a Phoenix team that has been steady over the last ten (8-2) and is top-ten in net rating this season.
Phoenix is without Jalen Green (out), but the Suns’ team results have held (21-15 without, 58.3% win rate). This matchup is more about Miami’s ability to keep pace offensively if Powell is limited, especially with Terry Rozier already out long term.
Chicago Bulls @ Houston Rockets
Chicago is shorthanded in the backcourt with Coby White (out) and Josh Giddey (out). White’s absence has not cratered the Bulls’ win rate (9-11 without vs 9-9 with), but it does remove 18.6 points per game and a significant chunk of guard usage. The bigger frontcourt loss is Zach Collins (out, high impact), and Chicago’s season split is stark: 6-4 with Collins versus 12-16 without.
Houston is also missing a lead guard in Fred VanVleet (out), plus Tari Eason (out) and Dorian Finney-Smith (out). The Rockets’ season record is strong overall (22-14), but this game sets up as a depth and physicality test. With Chicago missing Collins, bettors should pay attention to Houston’s ability to control the glass and keep the Bulls out of second-chance points, even if Houston’s own perimeter organization takes a hit without VanVleet.
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota is without Anthony Edwards (out), a massive usage and scoring removal (29.6 points per game, 30.9% usage). The Timberwolves have survived in the standings, but the split shows a real drop: 21-11 with Edwards (65.6%) versus 5-3 without (62.5%), with a net rating decline from 5.2 to 4.8. That is not a collapse, but it is enough to change how Minnesota closes games and how its offense is built.
Milwaukee’s key name is Myles Turner (day-to-day). If Turner sits, the Bucks lose rim protection and spacing at center, and that matters against a Minnesota team that can still defend at a high level and win ugly without Edwards. Taurean Prince is also out (high-impact classification in the data), and Milwaukee’s season split with him is meaningful (5-3 with vs 12-19 without), which points to rotation stress and lineup instability.
Denver Nuggets @ New Orleans Pelicans
Denver’s injury report is the slate’s most consequential. Nikola Jokic is out, and the Nuggets’ season profile shifts from 22-10 with him (68.8%) to 4-3 without (57.1%), with net rating dropping from 7.2 to -4.0. That is the clearest “identity change” split on the board. Denver is also without Jonas Valanciunas (out, critical), and the team’s split there is even more dramatic: 23-9 with Valanciunas (71.9%) versus 3-4 without (42.9%), with net rating falling from 7.4 to -4.9. Even if the opponent is struggling, that is a significant structural loss in the frontcourt.
New Orleans is missing multiple rotation pieces, including Herbert Jones (out, high impact) and Jose Alvarado (out). The Pelicans have been poor either way, but Jones’s split is still notable: 7-16 with him versus 2-16 without, and the defense typically feels that absence first. The betting angle is that Denver’s name value can still draw support. Still, without Jokic and Valanciunas, the Nuggets’ margin for error is thinner than the raw record suggests, especially if Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon (both day-to-day) are limited.
San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is without Isaiah Hartenstein (out), and the split is meaningful: 19-5 with him (79.2%) versus 14-2 without (87.5%), but with a net rating drop from 12.3 to 14.1, actually improving in the “without” sample. That suggests the Thunder have been able to cover the minutes structurally, even if the matchup-specific value of Hartenstein’s size would be helpful against a strong San Antonio team.
San Antonio is without Devin Vassell (out). The Spurs have still won at a high clip (23-9 with vs 4-3 without), but the net rating actually improves without him in this dataset (5.9 with vs 3.7 without), so performance is worse without him. Against the league’s top net rating team, missing a two-way wing scorer narrows the paths to an upset and can push San Antonio toward more half-court creation burden on their remaining primary options.
Atlanta Hawks @ Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles is without Austin Reaves (out), who has been a major offensive engine (26.4 points per game, 29.0% usage). The Lakers have been fine in the win column without him (8-5 without vs 14-8 with), but the net rating is essentially flat (slightly worse without). The more critical angle is role compression: with Reaves out, more creation flows through Luka Doncic and LeBron James, and the market often responds with elevated usage expectations and more stable minutes for the remaining starters.
Atlanta’s key question is Luke Kennard (day-to-day, high-impact classification). The Hawks are 18-16 with Kennard versus 2-4 without, and the net rating swings from 0.9 to -4.0. If Kennard sits alongside Kristaps Porzingis (out), Atlanta’s spacing and half-court shot quality can suffer, which is a problem against a Lakers team that can punish weak perimeter coverage with Doncic-led pick-and-roll.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Golden State Warriors
Portland is missing multiple rotation pieces, including Deni Avdija (out) and Jerami Grant (out). Avdija’s production (26.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists per game) is the type that forces a complete offensive reshuffle, and Grant’s absence removes a primary scoring forward. Even without clean with-versus-without splits for Avdija in the dataset, the volume alone signals a significant hit to Portland’s creation and playmaking.
Golden State’s only listed absence is Seth Curry (out), which is comparatively minor. The matchup implication is straightforward: if Portland is down multiple high-usage wings and guards, Golden State’s defensive game plan simplifies, and bettors should be wary of Portland’s ability to sustain offense for four quarters.
Statistical Impact Analysis
The two biggest team-level red flags are Denver without Jonas Valanciunas (3-4 without, -4.9 net rating) and Denver without Nikola Jokic (4-3 without, -4.0 net rating), both this season. Miami without Norman Powell (2-4 without) is a smaller sample, but still a meaningful downgrade given his 23.8 points per game and elite three-point efficiency.
Milwaukee’s split with Taurean Prince also stands out in the win column (5-3 with vs 12-19 without), signaling rotation fragility that matters more against a top-tier opponent like Minnesota, even with Anthony Edwards sidelined.
Betting and Fantasy Implications
The market should be most sensitive to any late updates on Denver’s day-to-day pieces (Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon) because Denver is already operating without its primary hub and a key center. For fantasy managers, the cleanest streaming logic is targeting replacement usage and minutes in games where high-usage creators are out, especially Los Angeles without Austin Reaves and Minnesota without Anthony Edwards, while being cautious about Denver’s overall offensive efficiency in the Jokic-less setup.
Players to Monitor (Day-To-Day)
- Norman Powell, Miami Heat
- Myles Turner, Milwaukee Bucks
- Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
- Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
- Spencer Jones, Denver Nuggets
- Luke Kennard, Atlanta Hawks
- Asa Newell, Atlanta Hawks
- Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
- Julian Phillips, Chicago Bulls
- Yuki Kawamura, Chicago Bulls
Closing
Tuesday’s slate is defined by Denver’s frontcourt absences and Minnesota playing without its primary scorer. The most crucial pregame work is tracking the day-to-day tags, especially in New Orleans, because Denver’s playable margin changes quickly if even one more starter is ruled out.
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