Daily NBA Injury Report and Analysis For Wednesday, January 7
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
The biggest injury headline on Wednesday’s slate is in Boston, where the Celtics remain without Jayson Tatum (out until April 1) in a marquee matchup with a Denver team that is also missing Nikola Jokic (out until February 1). That combination creates one of the clearest “market has to re-price the ceiling” games of the night, with both offenses forced to generate more perimeter shots and adopt more volatile shot profiles.
Across 12 games, the most impactful situations cluster around a few teams dealing with usage and lineup-identity losses: Denver without Jokic, Atlanta without Trae Young, the Lakers without Austin Reaves, and Houston without Alperen Sengun. Several other games feature key day-to-day tags that can swing late money and fantasy builds, including Cade Cunningham, Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, James Harden, and Draymond Green.
Game-by-Game Breakdown
Toronto Raptors @ Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte’s swing piece is Brandon Miller (day-to-day). The Hornets are 10-10 this season with Miller (50.0% win rate), but 3-13 without him (18.8%), a massive drop that matters against a Toronto team that has been steady above .500. If Miller sits, Charlotte’s scoring burden concentrates and the Hornets’ margin for error shrinks quickly.
Toronto is without Jakob Poeltl (out), but the Raptors are 13-8 with him (61.9%) and 9-7 without him (56.2%) this season, suggesting the market impact is more matchup-specific than team-wide. The bigger question is whether Charlotte can generate enough efficient offense if Miller is limited.
Chicago Bulls @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit’s injury report is crowded, but the key variable is Cade Cunningham (day-to-day). The Pistons are 23-9 with Cunningham (71.9%) and 3-0 without (100.0%) this season, a split that reads more like small-sample noise than “better without,” but it still matters for pricing because Cade’s 30.7% usage and 26.8 points plus 9.7 assists drive their half-court identity. Detroit is also without Jalen Duren (out) and Tobias Harris (out), which can change their rebounding and interior finishing profile.
Chicago’s most meaningful absence is Josh Giddey (out), and the Bulls are 15-15 with him (50.0%) vs 2-4 without (33.3%). They are also missing Jalen Smith (out), and Chicago is 17-13 with Smith (56.7%) but 0-6 without (0.0%), a stark split that points to frontcourt depth issues if Detroit can pressure the glass despite Duren being out.
Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia’s key tag is Joel Embiid (day-to-day). The 76ers are 9-8 with Embiid (52.9%) and 10-6 without (62.5%) this season, a split that likely reflects opponent quality and the timing of his availability, but it does signal Philly has been able to keep its baseline intact when he sits. With Kelly Oubre Jr. also out, the 76ers lose a chunk of wing scoring and transition pressure.
Washington’s absences are mostly wing depth (Kyshawn George out, Cam Whitmore out), and the Wizards’ season-long results are poor regardless. The betting implication primarily concerns whether Embiid plays, because his availability affects how the market prices Philadelphia’s half-court efficiency and rim protection.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta is without Trae Young (out), and the Hawks’ split is one of the strongest on the board: 2-8 with Young (20.0%) vs 15-12 without (55.6%) this season. That is a dramatic reversal that bettors have to respect, even if it is partially schedule-driven. With Young off the floor, Atlanta’s offense tends to be less heliocentric, and the market should be careful about automatically downgrading them.
New Orleans is without Dejounte Murray (out) and Saddiq Bey (out), with Herbert Jones listed day-to-day. Jones is the key two-way piece here, and the Pelicans are 7-15 with him (31.8%) vs 1-14 without (6.7%), a split that suggests their defense and lineup connectivity collapse when he is missing. If Jones sits again, Atlanta’s path to efficient looks widens.
Orlando Magic @ Brooklyn Nets
Orlando is without Jalen Suggs (out) and Franz Wagner (out). The Magic are 13-9 with Suggs (59.1%) vs 6-7 without (46.2%), and 13-10 with Franz (56.5%) vs 6-6 without (50.0%). Those are meaningful but not catastrophic, and Orlando’s ability to defend should still travel, even on a back-to-back.
Brooklyn’s listed outs are not high-leverage stars in this dataset, so the central angle is whether Orlando’s missing creation pushes more usage to Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, which can raise both ceiling and turnover risk.
Denver Nuggets @ Boston Celtics
This is the slate’s headline injury game. Denver is without Nikola Jokic (out), and the Nuggets are 22-10 with him (68.8%) but 2-2 without (50.0%) this season. That is a clear downgrade in both stability and late-game shot quality. Denver is also without Jonas Valanciunas (out) and Cameron Johnson (out), and has multiple day-to-day tags (Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Tim Hardaway Jr.), which creates real lineup fragility.
Boston remains without Jayson Tatum (out until April 1). With both teams missing their primary offensive engines, the market should expect more variance and more “who has enough secondary creation” outcomes. If Denver’s day-to-day guards are limited, Boston’s defensive edge becomes more pronounced, but if Murray and Gordon play, Denver can still generate elite scoring bursts even without Jokic.
Los Angeles Clippers @ New York Knicks
The Clippers’ key tag is James Harden (day-to-day). Los Angeles is 12-19 with Harden (38.7%) and 1-2 without (33.3%) this season, a modest difference in record but a meaningful change in playmaking structure given his 30.5% usage and 8.0 assists. With Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derrick Jones Jr. out, the Clippers are thinner on both shooting and wing defense.
New York is without Josh Hart (out), and the Knicks are 19-9 with him (67.9%) vs 4-4 without (50.0%). Hart’s absence matters in this matchup because it impacts rebounding, transition defense, and the Knicks’ ability to win the possession battle against a Clippers team that can struggle to create easy shots if Harden sits.
Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers are without Austin Reaves (out), and the split is notable: 14-8 with Reaves (63.6%) vs 7-3 without (70.0%). That record suggests Los Angeles has survived the absence, but Reaves’s 29.0% usage and 26.4 points plus 6.4 assists are still a significant shot-creation loss that can show up in efficiency, especially on a back-to-back. Rui Hachimura is also out, thinning the forward rotation.
San Antonio is without Devin Vassell (out). The Spurs are 23-9 with him (71.9%) vs 2-1 without (66.7%), a smaller drop, but it does remove a key spacing and secondary scoring option. With both teams on a back-to-back, bettors should be sensitive to late lineup confirmations and any minute restrictions.
Utah Jazz @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City has multiple rotation absences (Alex Caruso out, Isaiah Hartenstein out, Jaylin Williams out), but the Thunder’s season splits show they have still banked wins in various configurations. The key data point is Williams: OKC is 23-2 with him (92.0%) vs. 7-5 without him (58.3%), a significant gap that signals his role in their lineup functionality, even if his box-score production is modest.
Utah is without Walker Kessler (out) and Ace Bailey (out), and the Jazz are 11-19 with Bailey (36.7%) vs 1-4 without (20.0%). Against the league’s top net-rating team, missing size and rim protection is a significant problem, and the market typically prices OKC’s defense as even more suffocating in these spots.
Phoenix Suns @ Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis’ key tag is Ja Morant (day-to-day). The Grizzlies are 6-12 with Morant (33.3%) vs 9-8 without (52.9%) this season, another counterintuitive split that still has to be acknowledged in pricing. Memphis is also without Zach Edey (out), and they are 7-4 with him (63.6%) vs 8-16 without (33.3%), which is a significant hit to their interior rebounding and rim deterrence.
Phoenix’s listed outs are not primary drivers in this dataset, so the matchup hinges on whether Memphis can hold up inside without Edey and whether Morant’s status changes their late-clock offense.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Golden State Warriors
Golden State’s key tag is Draymond Green (day-to-day). The Warriors are 16-14 with him (53.3%) vs 3-4 without (42.9%) this season, a meaningful drop that reflects his defensive organization and playmaking. Gary Payton II is also day-to-day, which matters for point-of-attack defense.
Milwaukee’s notable absence is Taurean Prince (out), and the Bucks are 5-3 with him (62.5%) vs 11-17 without (39.3%). That split suggests his minutes stabilize their wing rotation more than the market may assume, especially in matchups where perimeter defense and spacing are stressed.
Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers
Houston is without Alperen Sengun (out), and the Rockets are 18-9 with him (66.7%) vs 4-2 without (66.7%) this season, indicating they have maintained results even when he sits. Still, Sengun’s 22.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists constitute a significant hub loss that can change how Houston generates paint touches and playmaking. Fred VanVleet is also out long-term, which keeps more creation pressure on the remaining guards.
Portland is missing multiple key pieces, including Jerami Grant (out) and Jrue Holiday (out). Grant’s absence is a clear scoring and matchup-defense hit, and the Blazers are 11-15 with him (42.3%) vs 6-4 without (60.0%) this season, another split that suggests their best stretches have come in different lineup shapes. The market should still treat Portland as thin on two-way wings in this matchup.
Statistical Impact Analysis
The largest season-long win-rate swings on the slate include Atlanta at 55.6% without Trae Young vs 20.0% with him, Chicago at 0-6 without Jalen Smith vs 17-13 with him, and Memphis at 33.3% without Zach Edey vs 63.6% with him. Denver’s Nikola Jokic split is also central for pricing, with the Nuggets at 68.8% with him vs 50.0% without him this season.
Betting and Fantasy Implications
Bettors should treat the day-to-day tags for Cade Cunningham, Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, James Harden, and Draymond Green as the primary late-swing levers for spread and total movement, especially in Knicks-Clippers and Wizards-76ers. From a fantasy perspective, the cleanest usage consolidations come from teams missing primary creators or hubs, notably Denver without Jokic and the Lakers without Reaves, where secondary ball-handlers and high-minute starters typically see the biggest role stability.
Players to Monitor (Questionable/GTD)
- Brandon Miller (Hornets)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Coby White (Bulls)
- Matas Buzelis (Bulls)
- Joel Embiid (76ers)
- Corey Kispert (Wizards)
- Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets)
- Christian Braun (Nuggets)
- Aaron Gordon (Nuggets)
- Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
- James Harden (Clippers)
- Harrison Ingram (Spurs)
- Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
- Cedric Coward (Grizzlies)
- Draymond Green (Warriors)
- Gary Payton II (Warriors)
- Kris Murray (Trail Blazers)
The Betting Edge
The slate’s clearest injury-driven pricing points are Denver-Boston without Jokic and Tatum, plus the unusual but significant season splits tied to Young and Morant. The market’s biggest edge window will be the final hour before tip, when confirmations on Embiid, Harden, Cade, and Draymond can reshape both spreads and totals.
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