Daily NBA Injury Report and Analysis for Thursday, January 15

The biggest injury swing on the January 15th slate is in Detroit, where the Phoenix Suns could be without Devin Booker (day-to-day), and the splits are loud. Phoenix is 22-14 this season with Booker (61.1% win rate) versus 1-2 without him (33.3%), with a massive net rating drop from 4.3 to -21.7.

Across nine games, the most impactful situations are Booker’s status, Giannis Antetokounmpo (day-to-day) for Milwaukee, Jalen Brunson (day-to-day) for New York, and a cluster of day-to-day tags in Dallas-Utah headlined by Cooper Flagg (day-to-day) and Lauri Markkanen (day-to-day).

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Memphis Grizzlies @ Orlando Magic

Memphis is already confirmed without Ja Morant, and the Grizzlies’ season results have actually been better without him: 11-10 (52.4%) without Morant versus 6-12 (33.3%) with him. That does not mean Morant is not a star-level usage piece (32.6% usage), but it does suggest the market should be careful about over-penalizing Memphis strictly on name value.

The bigger on-court absence is Zach Edey (out/ankle), who has been a double-double level producer at 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Memphis is 10-18 (35.7%) without Edey versus 7-4 (63.6%) with him, a meaningful swing in both win rate and net rating (5.6 with him, -4.0 without).

Orlando is also without Jalen Suggs, and the Magic are 13-9 with him versus 8-9 without him this season.

Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons

This game revolves around Devin Booker (day-to-day). Phoenix’s profile changes dramatically without him, going from 61.1% with Booker to 33.3% without, and from a 4.3 net rating with him to -21.7 without. The Suns are also missing Jamaree Bouyea, while Royce O’Neale (day-to-day) is another rotation piece to monitor.

Detroit’s injury list is not as star-driven, but it is impactful in the frontcourt. Jalen Duren is out, and Tobias Harris has been upgraded to probable. The Pistons’ splits show they have still won at a high clip without each player, but with notable declines in net rating. Detroit is 6-1 (85.7%) without Duren, versus 21-9 (70.0%) with him, yet the net rating drops from 5.9 with him to -3.7 without him. Harris is similar: Detroit is 12-2 (85.7%) without him, but 15-8 (65.2%) with him; the net rating falls from 5.0 to -4.1.

Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat

Miami has multiple day-to-day tags in the rotation, led by Tyler Herro (day-to-day) and Davion Mitchell (day-to-day). Herro’s splits are stark: the Heat are 4-6 (40.0%) with him versus 17-13 (56.7%) without him this season, with net rating improving from -5.6 to 4.2 without him. Miami is 21-17 with Mitchell versus 0-2 without him, with a net rating drop from 2.6 to -14.5 in the two games he has missed.

Boston’s injury report is light for this matchup, with Josh Minott (out) the only active-season contributor listed.

If Miami gets one or both guards back, it changes the mix of ball-handling and shot creation, but the season splits also suggest that Herro’s availability has not translated into better team results so far.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets

Houston is without Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith, two rotation forwards. Eason’s absence has not cratered Houston’s results (10-6 without him, 62.5%), but the net rating is still lower without him (5.6 without versus 8.3 with). Finney-Smith is a smaller sample (nine games played), yet Houston is 18-10 (64.3%) without him versus 5-4 (55.6%) with him.

For Oklahoma City, Isaiah Hartenstein (out) is the key absence with measurable impact. The Thunder are 19-5 (79.2%) with him versus 15-2 (88.2%) without him, but the net rating drops from 12.3 to 14.5 without him, which is actually an improvement in that split. Luguentz Dort (day-to-day) is the bigger “watch" because the Thunder’s net rating swings from 10.7 with him to -9.4 without him, even though the win rate remains strong in both samples.

Milwaukee Bucks @ San Antonio Spurs

Milwaukee’s entire outlook hinges on Giannis Antetokounmpo (day-to-day). The Bucks are 13-12 (52.0%) with Antetokounmpo versus 4-11 (26.7%) without him this season, and the net rating drops from -0.6 to -6.9 without him. If he sits, it is not just a usage hole (37.9% usage); it is a shift in team identity.

San Antonio is without Devin Vassell, but the Spurs have still been solid without him, at 4-4 (50.0%) compared to 23-9 (71.9%) with him. The net rating split is unusual, improving from 5.9 with Vassell to 21.9 without, so bettors should be cautious about assuming a straightforward downgrade based on the out tag alone.

Utah Jazz @ Dallas Mavericks

Dallas has multiple injuries, but the most important “today" variable is Cooper Flagg (day-to-day), after he left last night’s game with a sprained left ankle. The Mavericks are 15-25 (37.5%) with Flagg and 0-1 without him, so the record split is not informative yet, but his individual production is: 18.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game with a 23.6% usage rate.

Utah is also dealing with a major day-to-day in Lauri Markkanen (day-to-day). The Jazz are 14-19 (42.4%) with Markkanen and 0-7 without him, with the net rating falling from -5.6 to -17.4 without him. If Markkanen sits and Flagg plays, it is a clear talent tilt toward Dallas. If both sit, it becomes a volatility game where the market may struggle to price shot creation.

Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trail Blazers

Portland’s key tag is Deni Avdija (doubtful), and he has been a high-usage engine at 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game with a 29.1% usage rate. Portland is 19-20 with Avdija and 0-1 without him, so the team split is not meaningful yet, but his stat profile suggests a major on-ball role that is hard to replace. Portland may also be missing Jerami Grant (questionable), and the Blazers are 11-15 with him versus 8-6 without him, with net rating improving from -3.0 to -2.1 without.

For Atlanta, Luke Kennard (day-to-day) is the main “questionable-type" impact piece, and the Hawks are 18-16 with him versus 2-5 without him, with the net rating dropping from 0.9 to -7.0 without him.

New York Knicks @ Golden State Warriors

New York’s headline is Jalen Brunson (day-to-day). The Knicks are 24-12 (66.7%) with Brunson versus 1-3 (25.0%) without him, and the net rating drops from 5.1 to -4.0 without him. That is the kind of split that can move both side and total markets, especially against a Golden State team that is not carrying major injury uncertainty in the provided data.

Golden State’s only listed absence is Seth Curry, who has played just two games this season, so his status should not be treated as a major driver.

Charlotte Hornets @ Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles is without Austin Reaves, and his production is significant at 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. The Lakers are 14-8 with Reaves versus 9-6 without him, with net rating essentially flat (-0.8 with, 0.1 without), so the impact may show up more in role redistribution than in team efficiency.

Charlotte has two day-to-day rotation pieces in Moussa Diabate (day-to-day) and Collin Sexton (day-to-day). Sexton’s team splits are modest (11-20 with him, 3-6 without), while Diabate’s are similarly small (13-24 with him, 1-2 without). This matchup looks more like a Lakers availability and rotation question than a Hornets-driven injury spot.

Statistical Impact Analysis

The three biggest season-level win rate swings tied to a single player on this slate are Devin Booker for Phoenix (61.1% with, 33.3% without), Giannis Antetokounmpo for Milwaukee (52.0% with, 26.7% without), and Jalen Brunson for New York (66.7% with, 25.0% without). Utah’s Lauri Markkanen also stands out because the Jazz are 0-7 without him after going 14-19 with him.

Memphis is the outlier where the headline name (Ja Morant) does not match the team’s season results, with the Grizzlies winning more often without Morant (52.4%) than with him (33.3%), while Zach Edey’s absence is the more consistent downgrade (63.6% with, 35.7% without).

Betting And Fantasy Implications

The market’s biggest sensitivity points should be Booker, Antetokounmpo, Brunson, and Markkanen, since each has a clear with-versus-without team performance gap this season. For fantasy managers, the cleanest “minutes and usage" flags are in Miami (if Herro and Mitchell sit) and Dallas-Utah (if Flagg or Markkanen sit).

Players To Monitor

• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
• Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons
• Royce O’Neale, Phoenix Suns
• Nikola Jovic, Miami Heat
• Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
• Davion Mitchell, Miami Heat
• Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
• Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
• Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Kevin Love, Utah Jazz
• Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers
• Luke Kennard, Atlanta Hawks
• Mouhamed Gueye, Atlanta Hawks
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
• Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
• Moussa Diabate, Charlotte Hornets
• Collin Sexton, Charlotte Hornets

The NBA Betting Edge

The cleanest injury leverage comes from stars with proven season splits: Booker, Antetokounmpo, Brunson, and Markkanen. Memphis-Orlando is the reminder spot where the “name" injury is not the biggest statistical downgrade, since Edey’s absence has been more damaging than Morant’s in the 2025–26 results. 

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Data from Blitz. Stats as of January 15.