Dr. A's NBA Weekend Recap - Injuries and Returns Dominate News

Here are 10 NBA stories from over the weekend you might have missed, including injuries for De'Aaron Fox, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Ja Morant's debut, Steph Curry's Sunday flop and a massive losing streak for the Pistons. 

Beware the 2-game week 

The Suns are the only team with two games in Week 9, leaving managers of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with some possibly tough decisions while hot pickups like Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen might fizzle with just two games for the week. 

De'Aaron Fox questionable for Monday after sitting on Saturday

Fox missed Saturday's game with a shoulder injury and could sit again on Monday. If he doesn't play on Monday, Malik Monk is a strong replacement option in any format. Davion Mitchell and Kevin Huerter would also see a boost if he's out again. Keegan Murray got hot on Saturday and drained 11 straight three-pointers on his way to 47 points, and Monk scored 18 with four triples off the bench in that one. 

Lakers AD and LeBron iffy for Monday

LeBron is iffy on Monday due a calf injury. He played through it on Friday against the Spurs and went off for 23 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists against the Spurs. Davis' hip/groin injury also leaves him with a questionable tag after he sat out against the Spurs on Friday. The Knicks visit the Lakers on Monday night and the game is late, so managers might have to wait to get an answer on these two stars. But my guess is they'll both be in uniform tonight.

Ja Morant to debut on Tuesday

The long wait for Morant's managers is about to come to an end, as he's expected to play against the Pelicans on Tuesday. The Grizzlies have dealt with nasty injuries this season, are just 6-18 on the year, and have a tough road test at Oklahoma City on Monday night. Morant will make his debut on TNT on Tuesday night as the Grizzlies will try to start their drive to a playoff push with their star back in action. Morant is looking at a three-game week as Memphis hosts the Pacers on Thursday and are at Atlanta on Saturday.

Bradley Beal out multiple weeks

A sprained ankle will keep Beal out of the Suns lineup for multiple weeks, as he simply can't stay on the court this season. He's played in just six games thus far, and while Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon are both worth picking up in Beal's absence, the fact they only have two games this week is a total buzzkill. 

Tyrese Haliburton dealing with knee bruise

Haliburton hurt his left knee in Friday's ugly loss to the Wizards and then sat out on Saturday against Minnesota, another loss for the Pacers. Indiana is hosting the streaking Clippers on Monday, winners of seven straight games, and are going to need Haliburton if they're going to snap their own three-game losing streak. If Haliburton's unable to play again on Monday, T.J. McConnell will be a popular plug-and-play option, averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 assists in December.

Marcus Smart still out on Monday, Tyler Herro available

Marcus Smart will miss his 13th straight game due to a foot injury on Monday but is said to be nearing a return. But with Morant on his way back, Smart is also going to take a hit when he does finally suit up again. 

Herro has missed 18 straight games for the Heat but has been cleared to play on Monday against Minnesota. He'll be rusty but may still have his three-point shot working against the Wolves. It will be interesting to see what becomes of Jaime Jaquez with Herro back, but with Bam Adebayo still out indefinitely, there should be plenty of minutes still available for Jaquez when the Heat go small. Duncan Robinson probably takes the biggest hit with the return of Herro, but I'd continue to hang onto Jaquez if you can. 

Steph Curry flops on Sunday

Curry was a mess on Sunday against the Blazers, hitting just 2-of-12 shots and missing all eight of his three-point attempts to finish with just seven points on the night. The Warriors still managed to get a win, but Curry's ridiculous streak of hitting a three-pointer in 268 straight games came to an end. Klay Thompson played well, hitting 11-of-16 shots and five threes on his way to 28 points, while Andrew Wiggins snapped out of a funk to hit 9-of-12 shots and four triples for 25 points and a full stat line. I still don't trust Wiggins at all, but at least he finally showed some signs of life on Sunday. Pick him up at your own risk, but I'd like to see him play well for another game or two before going all in on him. 

Pistons losing streak now at 23

The Pistons have now lost 23 straight games after the Bucks obliterated them 146-114 on Saturday in one of the most lopsided matchups you'll ever see. The Bucks were up 24 points in the first quarter, and the record for the longest losing streak inside a single season is held by the 2010-11 Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Sixers, who both lost 26 straight games. The Pistons are at Atlanta on Monday, host Utah on Thursday and at Brooklyn on Saturday. No NBA team wants to lose to the Pistons right now, so both the Hawks and Jazz may have their work cut out for them this week. The Hawks are just 10-15 on the season, and the Jazz are 9-17. 

Clippers have won seven straight

The Clippers have quietly rattled off seven straight wins and sit in sixth place in the West. Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden seem to finally be on the same page and the Clippers are racking up a ton of points on their opponents right now. But outside of wins over the Nuggets and Warriors during the seven-game streak, the opposition has been lacking. They'll see the Pacers in Indy on Monday night, possibly without Tyrese Haliburton, they'll visit Dallas on Wednesday (no Kyrie Irving and possibly Dereck Lively), and wrap a road trip in OKC on Thursday night. Then they'll host the 20-5 Celtics on Saturday in hopes of winning their 11th straight if they can get past the Pacers, Mavs and Thunder earlier in the week.