Daily NBA Injury Report and Analysis for Wednesday, January 14
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
Across seven NBA games, there are several other meaningful absences and day-to-day tags that can move both sides and totals, including RJ Barrett (out) for Toronto, Anthony Davis (out) for Dallas (extended absence), and Kawhi Leonard (day-to-day) plus Ivica Zubac (day-to-day) for the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Toronto Raptors @ Indiana Pacers
Toronto is navigating a major scoring and usage loss with RJ Barrett (out), who is at 19.6 points per game with a 25.7% usage rate. The Raptors’ results have been dramatically better with Barrett this season (16-7, 69.6%) than without him (8-10, 44.4%), a split that can create real market overreactions if bettors only look at the overall record.
Indiana’s notable current absence is Bennedict Mathurin (out), but the Pacers’ season splits suggest his minutes have not been a positive driver of wins (5-19 with Mathurin, 4-12 without). For this matchup, the cleaner betting signal is Toronto’s downgrade without Barrett, especially since the Raptors are also without Jakob Poeltl (out).
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers
This game hinges on Philadelphia’s day-to-day tags: Joel Embiid (day-to-day) and VJ Edgecombe (day-to-day). Embiid’s on-court value is clear in the splits: the 76ers are 12-8 with him this season (60.0%) versus 10-7 without (58.8%). Edgecombe’s split is much louder, with Philadelphia 21-13 with him (61.8%) and 1-2 without (33.3%).
Cleveland’s injury report is lighter at the top, with Dean Wade (out) the most relevant rotation absence. If Embiid and Edgecombe are cleared, the market should stabilize quickly. If either sits, Philadelphia’s lineup and shot-creation profile change materially based on the team’s with-without results.
Utah Jazz @ Chicago Bulls
Chicago is already without Josh Giddey (out), and the Bulls’ season results show a meaningful drop without him (15-15 with Giddey, 3-6 without). That is a notable win-rate swing for a team sitting below .500 overall, and it matters even more because Chicago is on the back end of a back-to-back.
Utah’s most relevant current absence is Kevin Love (out), but the Jazz have been poor with or without him (8-14 with Love, 6-11 without). The bigger angle here is Chicago’s ball-handling and playmaking hit without Giddey, especially if Coby White (day-to-day) ends up limited or out.
Brooklyn Nets @ New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans is without Herbert Jones (out) and Jose Alvarado (out), and Jones in particular shows a major season split: the Pelicans are 7-16 with him (30.4%) and 2-17 without (10.5%). That is a massive difference for a team already struggling, and it is reinforced by the last ten games split (5-5 with Jones, 1-9 without).
Brooklyn’s injury list does not include a comparable high-usage absence, so the market focus should be on whether New Orleans can defend and generate stops without Jones. If bettors are looking for totals angles, the key is that New Orleans’ results without Jones have been inferior, which often correlates with game scripts that can distort late-game pace and scoring.
Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks
This is the slate’s headline injury spot. Denver is still without Nikola Jokic (out), and while the Nuggets have still won at a strong clip without him (5-3, 62.5%), they are even better with him (22-10, 68.8%). Dallas is also missing a significant frontcourt piece in Anthony Davis (out) for an extended period, and the Mavericks’ season split is stark: 10-10 with Davis (50.0%) versus 5-15 without (25.0%).
The other key Denver absence is Jonas Valanciunas (out), tagged as critical impact. Denver is 23-9 with Valanciunas (71.9%) and 4-4 without (50.0%), a significant drop that compounds the Jokic absence. For Dallas, P.J. Washington (out) also shows a meaningful split (9-21 with Washington, 6-4 without), but Davis is the clear driver for how the Mavericks’ ceiling changes.
New York Knicks @ Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is without Domantas Sabonis (out), and the Kings’ season results with him are poor (2-9, 18.2%), but they are not meaningfully better without him (8-21, 27.6%). Keegan Murray (out) is also out, and Sacramento is 4-15 with him versus 6-15 without, another split that does not point to a clean “one player drives everything" narrative.
New York’s injury report is light, so this matchup is more about Sacramento’s ability to function with multiple frontcourt pieces missing than a single star’s absence creating a clear betting edge.
Washington Wizards @ Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have two major day-to-day tags that can swing the entire handicap: Kawhi Leonard (day-to-day) and Ivica Zubac (day-to-day). Leonard’s impact is critical, and the team’s season results are far better with him (14-14, 50.0%) than without (2-8, 20.0%). Zubac’s split is even more extreme: Los Angeles is 11-22 with him (33.3%) and 5-0 without (100.0%), a result that is likely noisy but still something the market will react to if he is ruled out close to tip.
Washington is without Cam Whitmore (out), and the Wizards are 3-17 with him versus 7-11 without. The cleanest betting read is still on the Clippers’ availability, because Leonard’s status has the most direct, consistent win-rate signal.
Statistical Impact Analysis
The largest season win-rate drops tied to active, relevant injuries on this slate are RJ Barrett (Toronto) at 69.6% with versus 44.4% without, Anthony Davis (Dallas) at 50.0% with versus 25.0% without, and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) at 50.0% with versus 20.0% without. Denver’s center injuries also stack: Jonas Valanciunas shows 71.9% with versus 50.0% without, while Nikola Jokic is 68.8% with versus 62.5% without.
Betting And Fantasy Implications
Bettors should be most sensitive to late news in Cavaliers @ 76ers (Embiid and Edgecombe) and Wizards @ Clippers (Leonard and Zubac), since those are day-to-day tags tied to meaningful team splits. For props and fantasy, the clearest usage vacuum is Toronto without RJ Barrett, given his 19.6 points per game and 25.7% usage rate. At the same time, Dallas missing Anthony Davis is the other major spot where role players can see expanded opportunity.
Players To Monitor
- VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Coby White, Chicago Bulls
- Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
- Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
- Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets
- Sandro Mamukelashvili, Toronto Raptors
- E.J. Liddell, Brooklyn Nets
The Betting Edge
The slate’s most significant injury-driven handicaps are Denver’s center situation in Dallas, Toronto’s downgrade without RJ Barrett, and the Clippers’ late availability swing with Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. Monitor the day-to-day tags close to lock, because several of these games can flip from playable to pass depending on who is confirmed in. Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
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Data from Blitz. Stats as of January 14.
