NBA Injury Report Jan 17: Jalen Brunson & Devin Booker Betting Impact

The biggest injury swing on the Jan. 17 slate sits in New York, where Jalen Brunson (ankle) is questionable with a true season-long impact profile. The Knicks are 24-12 this season with Brunson (66.7% win rate, plus-5.1 net rating) versus 1-4 without him (20.0%, minus-5.8), a massive drop that can flip both the side and the total depending on his availability.

Across nine games, several other high-leverage situations stand out: Lauri Markkanen is out for Utah, and Anthony Edwards is questionable for Minnesota after missing yesterday’s game against the Rockets with an ankle injury. That is a slate with multiple primary engines either sidelined or in real doubt, which is where bettors and fantasy managers can still find mispriced minutes and usage.

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Utah Jazz @ Dallas Mavericks Injury Report & Trends

On the Utah side, Lauri Markkanen is out, and Utah’s results crater without him: the Jazz are 14-19 with Markkanen (42.4%, minus-5.6) and 0-8 without him (0.0%, minus-18.0).
With Utah missing its top-end scorer, this matchup becomes more about which offense can manufacture efficient looks, and the Markkanen split suggests Utah’s floor is especially low when he sits.

Phoenix Suns @ New York Knicks Injury Report & Trends

This game is the slate’s biggest injury hinge.
Jalen Brunson (ankle) is questionable, and New York’s season profile changes dramatically depending on his status: 24-12 with him (plus-5.1 net rating) versus 1-4 without (minus-5.8).
If Brunson is limited or out, the Knicks lose a 28.2 points-per-game creator with a 31.6% usage rate, and the market typically has to reprice both New York’s half-court efficiency and late-game shot quality.
Phoenix has its own swing piece with Devin Booker (ankle) questionable.
The Suns are 22-14 with Booker (61.1%, plus-4.3) versus 1-3 without him (25.0%, minus-17.0).
If both Brunson and Booker are trending the wrong way, this becomes a game where live betting and late injury confirmation matter more than pregame numbers.

Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks Injury Report & Trends

Atlanta’s key tag is Dyson Daniels (ankle), questionable.
The Hawks are 20-21 with Daniels (48.8%, minus-0.7) and 0-1 without him (0.0%, minus-3.0), which is a small sample but still signals how thin Atlanta can get when a primary ball-handler and defender is compromised.
Boston’s most relevant current piece is Payton Pritchard (ankle), listed as doubtful.
This would be Boston’s first game without Pritchard, and his 16.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, losing meaningful rotation value if he sits.

Indiana Pacers @ Detroit Pistons Injury Report & Trends

Indiana is on the back end of a back-to-back, and the injury list is not kind.
Bennedict Mathurin is out, and the Pacers are 5-19 with him (20.8%, minus-6.8) versus 5-13 without him (27.8%, minus-8.2).
That is not a clean “better without" signal because the net rating is worse without him, but it does show that Indiana has struggled regardless, and the offense loses a 17.8 points-per-game scorer.
Detroit’s key names, Cade Cunningham (wrist) and Ausar Thompson (heel), are both probable, which matters because the Pistons have been elite in the games Cunningham has played: 24-9 with him (72.7%, plus-6.1).
If Detroit gets its lead guard back at full strength against a tired Indiana team missing multiple rotation players, the matchup leans toward Detroit controlling the pace and shot quality.

Minnesota Timberwolves @ San Antonio Spurs Injury Report & Trends

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is questionable with an ankle injury after missing yesterday’s game against the Rockets.
While the season record split is not extreme, the efficiency split is: the Timberwolves are 21-11 with Edwards (plus-5.2) versus 6-4 without him (plus-6.6).
That suggests Minnesota can still win games without Edwards, but the offense will need to be redistributed, and the market may overreact to the “star out" headline if it isn’t paired with a true efficiency collapse.
San Antonio is missing Devin Vassell and has Stephon Castle (illness) questionable.
Vassell’s season split is notable: the Spurs are 23-9 with him (71.9%, plus-5.9) versus 5-4 without (55.6%, plus-2.6).
If Castle also sits, San Antonio’s guard depth becomes the story, especially against a Minnesota team that still profiles as a top-tier offense (120.0 points per game) even with Edwards questionable.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat Injury Report & Trends

Miami’s backcourt is the key storyline.
Davion Mitchell (shoulder) is out, and the Heat are 21-17 with him (55.3%, plus-2.6) versus 0-3 without him (0.0%, minus-11.3).
Tyler Herro (toe, rib) is also questionable, and Miami’s split with him is severe: 4-7 with Herro (36.4%, minus-5.5) versus 17-13 without him (56.7%, plus-4.2).
That is a rare case where the team has performed better without a high-usage scorer, and it is exactly the kind of split bettors should be aware of before assuming “Herro in" is automatically bullish for Miami.
Oklahoma City is without Isaiah Hartenstein, and the Thunder have still been dominant either way: 19-5 with him (79.2%, plus-12.3) and 16-2 without him (88.9%, plus-14.8).
The data suggests Oklahoma City’s baseline is so strong that Miami’s injury news matters more to the spread than Oklahoma City’s.

Charlotte Hornets @ Golden State Warriors Injury Report & Trends

Charlotte has Moussa Diabate day-to-day, and Golden State has Gui Santos out.
These are role players who won’t swing the spread in either direction, so this is more of a “confirm starters and move on" spot for bettors.

Washington Wizards @ Denver Nuggets Injury Report & Trends

Denver is missing Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson, while Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Jamal Murray (ankle), and Bruce Brown (knee) are all probable.
Washington’s most relevant current absence is Bilal Coulibaly out, while Khris Middleton is day-to-day.
If Denver’s probable trio is confirmed in, the market can treat this as a rotation adjustment spot rather than a full teardown.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report & Trends

Los Angeles is without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and the Doncic split is meaningful: the Lakers are 19-12 with him (61.3%, plus-0.2) versus 4-3 without him (57.1%, minus-5.7).
That is a major efficiency downgrade, even if the record has not collapsed.
Deandre Ayton (knee) is questionable, which matters for lineup stability, but his season split is relatively modest: 21-14 with him (minus-1.1) versus 2-1 without (plus-1.0), in a very small sample.
Portland has multiple rotation questions: Jerami Grant (Achilles) is questionable, and Deni Avdija (back) is doubtful.
Avdija’s role is massive in the box score (26.1 points per game, 29.0% usage), but the team-level split is basically flat: 19-20 with him (minus-2.2) and 1-1 without (minus-3.0).
The bigger practical issue is simply shot creation, because Portland is also listing Jrue Holiday day-to-day. If Grant and Holiday are limited, Portland’s offense can become overly dependent on Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan’s interior finishing.

NBA Injury Statistical Impact Analysis Jan. 17

The largest season-long win-rate swings in today’s data belong to New York, with Jalen Brunson (ankle) questionable (66.7% with him vs 20.0% without), and to Utah, with Lauri Markkanen out (42.4% with him vs 0.0% without).
Miami’s Davion Mitchell (shoulder) out is another major team-level shift (55.3% with him vs 0.0% without), albeit in a three-game sample without him.
From an efficiency standpoint, Phoenix’s Devin Booker (ankle), questionable, carries a “flip the profile" signal (plus-4.3 with him vs minus-17.0 without).

NBA Injury Betting And Fantasy Implications

The market’s most important checkpoints are Brunson and Booker in Knicks-Suns, plus Herro’s status in Thunder-Heat, given Miami’s unusual with/without split.
In Lakers-Trail Blazers, Doncic out and multiple Portland creators questionable can create a volatile shot-quality game, so bettors should prioritize confirmed lineups over early numbers.

NBA Injury Players To Monitor

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers
Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers
Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
Khris Middleton, Washington Wizards

The Betting Edge

The cleanest injury-driven edges come from teams with proven season-long splits: monitor Brunson (ankle) and Booker (ankle) first.
Miami’s backcourt situation is the other key, with Mitchell (shoulder) out and Herro (toe, rib) questionable, creating a wide range of outcomes against an Oklahoma City team that has been dominant even without Hartenstein.

Data from Blitz. Stats as of January 17.