Daily NBA Injury Report and Analysis – January 4, 2026
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
The biggest injury storyline on Sunday’s slate remains Denver playing without Nikola Jokic (Out, Feb 1) and Jonas Valanciunas (Out, Feb 1), a frontcourt hit that forces the Nuggets into a very different identity against Brooklyn. The other market-moving situation to monitor is Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (Day-To-Day, Jan 4), with the Bucks’ season-level results showing a major drop-off when he sits.
Across eight games, several teams are dealing with multi-player absences that directly impact usage concentration, rebounding, and defensive matchups, most notably Denver, Miami, Orlando, and the Lakers.
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Detroit Pistons @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland’s key question is whether Jarrett Allen (Day-To-Day, Jan 4) is available. The Cavaliers are 14-11 this season with Allen (56.0% win rate) versus 6-5 without him (54.5%), so the record split is modest, but his availability matters against Detroit’s size and Cade Cunningham‘s rim pressure. Cleveland is also without Max Strus (Out, Jan 10), which narrows wing shooting options.
Detroit is missing multiple rotation pieces, including Caris LeVert (Out, Jan 5) and Jalen Duren (Out, Jan 10). The most notable team-level split is with Duren: Detroit is 21-9 with him (70.0%) versus 3-0 without (100.0%), but that 3-game sample is too small for bettors to overreact to. The practical impact is more about lineup construction, with Isaiah Stewart likely carrying more center minutes.
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Indiana Pacers @ Orlando Magic
Orlando is shorthanded on the perimeter with Franz Wagner (Out, Jan 6) and Jalen Suggs (Out, Jan 6). The Magic are 13-10 with Franz (56.5%) versus 5-6 without (45.5%) this season, and 13-9 with Suggs (59.1%) versus 5-7 without (41.7%). That combination typically shifts more creation and shot volume toward Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, while also lowering Orlando’s defensive margin for error.
Indiana continues to operate without Tyrese Haliburton (Out, Oct 1) and Bennedict Mathurin (Out, Jan 6). The Pacers’ overall profile is already reflected in their 6-29 record, and the injury list keeps their half-court offense thin behind Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. From a betting perspective, this is more about whether Orlando’s missing wings caps their ceiling enough to keep Indiana competitive for longer stretches.
Denver Nuggets @ Brooklyn Nets
This is the slate’s most consequential injury environment. Denver is without Nikola Jokic (Out, Feb 1), Jonas Valanciunas (Out, Feb 1), Aaron Gordon (Out, Jan 4), Christian Braun (Out, Jan 4), and Cameron Johnson (Out, Jan 22), with Jamal Murray listed Day-To-Day (Jan 4). The cleanest season split is Jokic: Denver is 22-10 with him (68.8%) versus 1-1 without (50.0%). Even in a tiny sample, the market has to price a major downgrade in offensive stability and late-game shot quality when Jokic is off the floor.
Brooklyn’s side is also meaningful, especially in the middle. Nic Claxton is Out (Jan 7), and the Nets are 10-21 with him (32.3%) versus 0-1 without (0.0%). Michael Porter Jr. is Day-To-Day (Jan 4), and Brooklyn is 10-16 with him (38.5%) versus 0-6 without (0.0%), a stark split that signals how dependent the Nets have been on his scoring load. If Porter sits, Brooklyn’s ability to keep pace with Denver’s still-elite season offense (124.6 ppg) becomes far more fragile, even with Denver’s injuries.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Miami Heat
Miami is without Tyler Herro (Out, Jan 4) and Terry Rozier (Out, Feb 20), and Jaime Jaquez Jr. is Day-To-Day (Jan 4). Herro’s split is counterintuitive: Miami is 3-3 with him (50.0%) versus 16-13 without (55.2%). That does not mean Miami is better without Herro, but it does suggest the market should be careful about automatically inflating the downgrade beyond what the team has already navigated for most of the season.
New Orleans has multiple key absences, including Herbert Jones (Out, Jan 6) and Dejounte Murray (Out, Jan 13), with Trey Murphy III Day-To-Day (Jan 4). Jones’ on-off record is dramatic: the Pelicans are 7-15 with him (31.8%) versus 1-13 without (7.1%). If Murphy also sits, New Orleans’ spacing and two-way wing depth take another hit, which is especially problematic against Miami’s physical perimeter defense and halfcourt pace control.
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Washington Wizards
This game has limited injury-driven market impact. Minnesota’s only notable absence is Terrence Shannon Jr. (Out, Jan 11). Washington is missing Kyshawn George (Out, Jan 6) and Cam Whitmore (Out, Jan 27), but both are tagged NEGATIVE impact in the data.
The bigger angle is scheduling and form: Minnesota is on a back-to-back (played MIA yesterday), while Washington has been 4-1 in its last five. Bettors should treat that as a situational spot rather than an injury spot.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Phoenix Suns
Phoenix is without Grayson Allen (Out, Jan 4), a meaningful perimeter piece, but the more important context is that OKC’s injury list is mostly depth-based. Isaiah Hartenstein (Out, Jan 5) removes a key interior option, and Jaylin Williams (Out, Jan 5) also sits, but Oklahoma City’s season performance has remained elite at 30-5 with a +15.3 net rating.
For bettors, the key is that OKC’s baseline is already strong enough that secondary absences often show up more in rotation patterns than in full-game power ratings. Phoenix’s missing Allen can tighten their shooting and secondary playmaking around Devin Booker, especially if the Suns need to trade 3-point volume with OKC.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Sacramento Kings
Milwaukee’s headline is Giannis Antetokounmpo (Day-To-Day, Jan 4). The Bucks are 11-9 with Giannis (55.0%) versus 4-11 without (26.7%) this season, a massive swing that should drive pregame pricing and live-betting posture. If he sits, Milwaukee’s offense becomes far more guard-driven, and the margin for error on the glass and at the rim shrinks.
Sacramento is without Zach LaVine (Out, Jan 4) and Domantas Sabonis (Out, Jan 18). The Kings are 5-18 with LaVine (21.7%) versus 3-9 without (25.0%), and 2-9 with Sabonis (18.2%) versus 6-18 without (25.0%). Those splits suggest Sacramento’s issues are structural, not solved by any one availability change, but losing both removes their most reliable scoring punch and their best hub big, which lowers their ceiling against a Milwaukee team that can still win the physicality battle if Giannis plays.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are without Austin Reaves (Out, Jan 26) and Rui Hachimura (Out, Jan 6), thinning their secondary scoring around Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Reaves’ season split is small: the Lakers are 14-8 with him (63.6%) versus 6-3 without (66.7%), but his absence still matters for lineup flexibility and ballhandling depth.
Memphis has a long list, with the key monitor being Ja Morant (Day-To-Day, Jan 4). The Grizzlies are 6-12 with Morant (33.3%) versus 9-7 without (56.2%) this season, another counterintuitive split that likely reflects context and opponent quality rather than Morant being a negative. If Morant plays, Memphis’ pace and rim pressure rise, but the Grizzlies are also without Zach Edey (Out, Jan 9), which impacts their interior size against Deandre Ayton.
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Statistical Impact Analysis
The largest season-level win-rate swing on the slate belongs to Milwaukee with and without Giannis Antetokounmpo: 55.0% with him versus 26.7% without him. Orlando also shows meaningful drop-offs without Franz Wagner (56.5% to 45.5%) and without Jalen Suggs (59.1% to 41.7%), which matters even against a struggling Indiana team. Denver’s Jokic split is 68.8% with him versus 50.0% without, and while the sample without is small, the market typically prices Jokic as one of the league’s biggest single-player movers.
Betting and Fantasy Implications
Bettors should treat Giannis’ status as the primary late-slate trigger for both side and derivative markets in MIL @ SAC, given Milwaukee’s 11-9 record with him versus 4-11 without. In DEN @ BKN, the key is whether Jamal Murray plays, because Denver is already missing Jokic and multiple starters, and Brooklyn’s own scoring outlook hinges on Michael Porter Jr.’s Day-To-Day tag. For fantasy managers, the clearest usage concentration spots come from Orlando’s missing Franz Wagner and Suggs, and Miami’s backcourt being without Herro and Rozier.
Players to Monitor (Questionable/Day-To-Day)
– Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
– Dean Wade (Cavaliers)
– Sam Merrill (Cavaliers)
– Wendell Moore Jr. (Pistons)
– Michael Porter Jr. (Nets)
– Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
– Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)
– Pelle Larsson (Heat)
– Trey Murphy III (Pelicans)
– Derik Queen (Pelicans)
– Isaiah Joe (Thunder)
– Cason Wallace (Thunder)
– Brooks Barnhizer (Thunder)
– Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
– Gary Harris (Bucks)
– Santi Aldama (Grizzlies)
– Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
– Tristan Vukcevic (Wizards)
Closing Thoughts
Sunday’s injury board is defined by two things: Denver’s continued life without Jokic, and the market sensitivity around Giannis’ availability. The most actionable approach is to prioritize late news in DEN @ BKN and MIL @ SAC, where a single status change can reshape both rotation expectations and closing numbers.
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