NBA Teams Are Resting Players All Over The Place For The Final Night Of The Season

The 2018-19 NBA season can be defined by a great many things, chief among them is the emergence of the phrase “load management.” Teams are getting smarter about giving players short-term rests for, they hope, long-term success. Entering the final night of the season, whether they say it or not, plenty of teams are partaking in resting dudes with an eye on the postseason or the year coming to an end.

There are plenty of teams whose postseason seeding relies on Wednesday’s games, so what teams are resting and what teams aren’t could play a critical role in deciding that.

With that in mind, we skimmed the NBA’s injury report for the last night and looked at all 22 teams in play. Here’s how their injury situations going into the last night of the season break down. (Note: We didn’t include long-term injuries in here, so if you wonder where Victor Oladipo is for the Pacers, that’s why he’s not on the list.)

Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks

Not much going on here, as the Pacers will take the floor as the five-seed in the playoffs and the Hawks are going home. Atlanta doesn’t have any major surprises up its sleeves, while Indiana is taking a more conservative approach.

Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are in a fight for seeding — you can read about the playoff situation heading into the final night in both conferences here — while the Heat were eliminated on Tuesday night. You can guess that Brooklyn isn’t resting anyone, while Miami has its full squad aside from Josh Richardson at its disposal.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Orlando Magic

Another game with playoff implications means another game where teams are going for broke — the Magic are playing for seeding, the Hornets are playing for a spot in the postseason. This might end up being the best game of the night, and as such, both squads have basically their full rosters at their disposal, except the Magic will be without their star center Nikola Vucevic.

https://twitter.com/joshuabrobbins/status/1116096200359469056Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks

Our final game with major playoff implications in the East also features perhaps the biggest injury news of the night. Blake Griffin is doubtful due to lingering knee issues, and seeing as how the Pistons are, for the most part, in a “win and you’re in” situation, that’s a brutal blow. As for the Knicks, their injury list is a bit longer.

UPDATE: Griffin has officially been ruled OUT.

Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers

This exact tweet inspired this post. Both teams are locked into their playoff destinies — the Sixers are the three-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls start their offseason once this game ends — and as a result, behold, this work of art.

Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Another game where nothing is really up for grabs, meaning another game where teams are being conservative.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks know their postseason fate, so as you can guess, they’re using Wednesday as a chance to give some dudes a night off. The situation in Oklahoma City is a little more complex, and they have basically everyone on hand, but Paul George’s ability to suit up is questionable.

Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs

Dirk Nowitzki is going to play, which is nice. As for injuries, Dallas’ Maxi Kleber is the only person who doesn’t have a long-term injury who is expected to be out.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets’ injury report isn’t out yet. As for the Timberwolves, they’re keeping a number of players on the sideline with their postseason fate decided.

Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are healthy — Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari are listed as probable for a game with playoff seeding implications. As for the Jazz, who are locked into the 5-seed, well…

Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento’s wonderful season is over, but they’re still mostly healthy, as only Harry Giles and Kosta Koufous will rest. Portland has some seeding stuff up in the air, but Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are getting load management’d.