According to NBA.com’s Official Injury Report, Oklahoma City Thunder’s rookie Josh Giddey will not play in Friday’s contest against the Indiana Pacers due to soreness in his right hip.
A late addition to the injury report, Giddey played 37 minutes in last night’s blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns, likely indicating the ailment is not considered severe.
The 19-year-old has been amongst the league’s most impressive rookies, tallying per-game averages of 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 54 games. FanDuel Sportsbook has his Rookie of the Year odds set at +800.
In addition to Giddey, Oklahoma City will also be without third-year forward Lu Dort, who will miss his fourth straight game with a left shoulder sprain.
As a result, star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in line for a significant bump in usage. Without Giddey and Dort on the floor, SGA averages an elite 1.47 fantasy points per minute, with a 36.4 usage rate. The 23-year-old is coming off a 32-point, five-assist performance versus Phoenix and will be a core piece of many DFS lineups this evening.
Meanwhile, rookie guard Tre Mann, who has played 30 or more minutes in three straight games, should have another heavy workload. At $6,400 on FanDuel, Mann is certainly in play as a value option.
FanDuel Sportsbook has OKC as +7.5-point underdogs on the spread and +260 on the moneyline.
