Kyle Lowry TOR: bruised tailbone
Kyle Lowry fell hard on his back during overtime of last Monday’s game against the Nets, bruising his tailbone. He was only able to take a few steps before falling to the ground as he tried to get off the court, and two teammates ended up carrying him to the locker room. X-rays and further evaluation after the game revealed the bone bruise to his tailbone as well as acute back spasms. Lowry did not play in the rest of Toronto’s games last week, but he said he is planning to make his return on Tuesday. The Inside Injuries algorithm is calculating a 1-2 week Optimal Recovery Time, so a Tuesday return would be on the early side of that timetable.
Myles Turner IND: right elbow soreness
Myles Turner suffered an injury to his right elbow on a dunk during last Monday’s game against the Bucks. The Pacers initially called it “right elbow soreness,” but there is more going on here. He hasn’t played since he sustained the injury, and on Monday news finally broke that there is a ligament sprain and a muscle strain. A grade 1 elbow sprain would require three weeks of recovery time, while any sort of ligament damage (partial tear) could hold Turner out for up to five weeks.
C.J. Williams LAC: sprained right ankle
The injury pile-up for the Clippers continued last week when C.J. Williams suffered a right ankle sprain during Wednesday’s game against the Warriors. He left the arena on crutches. The good news is X-rays on Williams’ ankle came back negative, but there is still no word on his MRI results. The Clippers have assigned him to the G-league as he continues rehabbing. The Inside Injuries algorithm is calculating a grade 2 ankle sprain and a 4-5 week Optimal Recovery Time.
Joel Embiid PHI: swollen right hand and sore back
Joel Embiid’s injury woes continue as he deals with lingering back soreness as well as a sprained shooting hand. He has only played in three games in the past two weeks, which should have allowed him to get in some extra rest, but likely not enough to shake these injuries. Embiid was obviously less than 100% in Thursday’s battle against the Celtics in London. The 76ers already have tight restrictions on Embiid but they may need to adjust his maintenance plan even more as he continues to be banged up. He’s an Elevated Injury Risk, and his Health Performance Factor (how the Inside Injuries algorithm predicts performance) has dropped to Below Average as he deals with these two injuries.
Lonzo Ball LAL: left knee sprain
Lonzo Ball was dealing with a sore left knee after putting in 43 minutes in Saturday’s game against Dallas. The Lakers opted to have him undergo a precautionary MRI on Sunday, which revealed a minor left knee sprain. The Inside Injuries algorithm is calculating a 2-3 week Optimal Recovery Time, so Ball shouldn’t be in fantasy lineups for at least the next week. Ball is at a Below Average Health Performance Factor.
Brandon Ingram LAL: mild left ankle sprain
Brandon Ingram tweaked his left ankle during the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Mavericks. He tried to play through the injury after getting his ankle taped up, but he was ruled out for the rest of the game after a second trip to the locker room. X-rays on Ingram’s left ankle came back clean, which means he’s likely dealing with a grade 1 ankle sprain. We are showing a 2-3 week Optimal Recovery Time.
Tony Parker SAS: sprained right ankle
Tony Parker tweaked his right ankle in the fourth quarter of last Monday’s win over the Kings and did not return when he went back to the locker room. He missed Tuesday and Thursday’s game but was able to return to the lineup on Saturday. Parker is expected to have tight restrictions for at least the next month, so he isn’t much of a fantasy option anyways.
Steph Curry GS: right ankle sprain
Steph Curry slipped at practice last Tuesday and rolled his troublesome right ankle. He did not have X-rays or an MRI, suggesting the Warriors’ medical staff do not think this is much more than a tweak. The biggest concern here is Curry’s history of injuries to his right ankle. This is the same ankle he rolled back in early December that held him out of 11 games. He’s also had two surgeries to strengthen the ligaments in his ankle in 2011 and 2012. Curry missed two games last week to the injury but returned to the lineup on Saturday. His repeated ankle woes have made him a High Injury Risk.
