2 min read • June 02, 2022
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While Golden State’s big three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have progressively rounded into form from previous injuries, the Warriors are still waiting on the returns of three key wings, all of whom are listed as questionable for tomorrow’s Game 1.
Gary Payton II is a game-time decision, but is trending towards making his Finals debut on Thursday. He has missed the last nine games after suffering a left radial head elbow fracture, but will have an SIC health score of 92 and will be fine, barring any additional trauma to the elbow.
Otto Porter Jr. carries an SIC score of 68 and is the least likely to play in Game 1.
He is dealing with a lingering foot injury he suffered in early in Game 3, and while the Warriors haven’t released the specifics of the injury, the ProBasketballDocs can’t rule out that Porter Jr. potentially suffered a refracture that – if small enough – wouldn’t show up on most tests.
It remains to be seen whether he will contribute in this series.
The Warriors’ own Udonis Haslem, Andre Iguodala, appears to be closer to making an appearance in his seventh finals in eight years. Iguodala has shown his age this season, managing injuries to his knee, back, and hips, but the latest cervical neck strain has kept him out since late in the first round.
The Docs give the 39-year-old wing defender an SIC score of 84 and he could be active in Game 1.
The Celtics’ three biggest injury concerns happen to be potentially their three most essential players.
Jayson Tatum has been playing closer to 90%, but will have an SIC score of 81 as the series begins because of the risk of his neck issue flaring up.
Tatum was inconsistent in the final five games of the East Finals after suffering a stinger late in Game 3, and his flare up early in Game 5 spurred a challenging first half for the 24-year-old.
While it may seem fine now, any aggravation will render him ineffective for the night.
Robert Williams III, as David Chao, MD and Walt Lowe, MD discussed on Tuesday’s Sports Injury Central podcast, continues to struggle on his ailing left knee and is unlikely to get any better this postseason.
He will play through the bone bruise and soreness in his left knee and tendinopathy in his right, but won’t approach the minutes he played in the regular season before suffering a torn meniscus in March. The Docs give him an SIC score of 74.
Marcus Smart brings the biggest questions in this series. He appears to be recovered from the gruesome right ankle sprain he suffered in Game 3, as he returned to play in Games 5-7 while ineffective offensively, scoring 14.3 points with six rebounds and four assists on 31% shooting and a combined 5-22 from deep.
The Docs give the Defensive Player of The Year an SIC score of 90, but his beat-up lower half will be challenged by Stephen Curry, who is notoriously hyperactive off the ball and who Smart will likely be trailing for most of The Finals.
Both finalists have injury issues but with 3 of the top Celtics players dealing with ailments, the health advantage leans towards the Warriors with the California team holding a +5.8 differential between the SIC scores. As always, here are the prop plays that focus specifically on the teams injuries:
Injury-Based Prop Plays
Jayson Tatum U28.5 Points - The star forward has been playing well of late but the stinger can flare at anytime, this could come back to bite us as the Tatum can score from anywhere but we feel strongly the Duke alum is not 100% and should safely go under 29 points, incredibly safe bet if a flare up indeed happens
Kevon Looney O16.5 Points+Rebounds - The center has played extremely well since entering the starting lineup due to the Payton injury, has grabbed double digit boards in 4 of the last 6 games including a 22 board performance, should clear this prop but monitor his minutes as Payton will likely return meaning minutes could be cut although Looney has played so well of late it will be hard for head coach Steve Kerr to keep him off the court
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