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LaMelo Ball Injury Update: February 20 vs. Nuggets

LaMelo Ball Injury Update: February 20 vs. Nuggets

NBA News Rail

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

After helping the Hornets upset the Lakers on Wednesday, Ball is out Thursday vs. the Nuggets due to injury management. Also, Mark Williams (conditioning) has been ruled out.

Ball is handling a huge 35.3 percent usage rate this season, and he is averaging 27.3 points, 7.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. With Ball inactive Thursday, Elfrid Payton ($4,000) is the top candidate to start at point guard for the Hornets, which would make him a strong punt play for DFS. In the last game that Ball missed, Payton started and posted 21 FPTS across 31 minutes against a stout Magic defense that ranks second in efficiency this season.

Miles Bridges ($8,700) also sees a boost with both Ball and Williams out. In the five starts Bridges has made without both Ball and Williams this season, Bridges is scoring 42.2 FPTS per game with a 34.9 percent usage rate. Lastly, with Williams missing from the front-court, Jusuf Nurkic ($4,300) should join the starting lineup and is an elite value play at this season-low salary. The veteran is collecting 1.3 FPTS per minute this season and Nurkic just scored 26 FPTS in only 18 minutes off the bench last night vs. the Lakers. With Williams out, Nurkic should see 20-25 minutes.

As a team, the Hornets are 1-7 with Ball and Williams inactive this season. Rightfully so, the Nuggets are a huge 17-point favorite over Charlotte on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.