Pacers release injury report ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Lakers

Indiana Pacers F T.J. Warren, C Myles Turner and G Doug McDermott are all questionable to play in Saturday’s game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers due to injuries. Warren, a.k.a bubble boy, a.k.a bubble MVP, has been playing his best basketball for the Pacers, who are among the top surprises in the bubble. Warren has a sore foot and Turner is dealing with an ankle sprain.

McDermott was held out of the Pacers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Warren and Turner both played and were productive as they have been consistently in the bubble. Warrens cored 16 points with 11 rebounds against Phoenix, while Turner had 17 points and 8 boards. Let’s break down the impact their absences could have on DFS and betting.

Fantasy basketball and betting impact

So this is pretty big news. If Warren and/or Turner is ruled out, there’s significant value coming in on the Indy side. Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo get big boosts in usage with Warren off the court. Aaron Holiday should also see more minutes and usage. Off the bench, Justin Holiday and JaKarr Sampson are two names to look for at SF in place of Warren. Goga Bitadze would be thrust into minutes at center if Turner is ruled out. He’d be an interesting value play.

As for the lines, we can’t really predict anything right now. LeBron James is questionable for the Lakers, so perhaps we get some value with his status up in the air. If we anticipate LeBron playing and one of Warren or Turner sitting, then laying some money on a favorable L.A. spread or moneyline makes sense.

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