Moussa

Diabate

Diabate is back after missing two games due to illness. Mark Williams is out so that rotation minutes will be available. And that may be conservative, as expected starter Jusuf Nurkic has exceeded 25 minutes three times since joining the Nuggets in February.

Diabate has missed Charlotte’s last two games due to illness, while Smith had to leave Friday’s loss to the Celtics due to groin tightness. If allowed to play in Sunday’s season finale, both players will figure prominently in the Hornets’ rotation. Diabate offers a safer floor and higher ceiling in active fantasy leagues, as Mark Williams will not play.

Diabate will miss a second straight contest after being listed as questionable on the initial injury report. Taj Gibson played 18 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, but that was due to the Hornets also being without Mark Williams. Williams is available, so look for him to absorb those minutes and take some away from Jusuf Nurkic.

Diabate was held out of Wednesday’s loss to the Raptors, so Taj Gibson played 18 minutes off the bench. Gibson’s playing time would likely decrease if Diabate remains out, as starter Mark Williams is available after not playing on Wednesday.

Diabate was listed as questionable so it’s not a major surprise that he’s been ruled out Wednesday against the Raptors. Taj Gibson should take on the backup center role in his absence and play some minutes off the bench.

Diabate has been a solid backup center for the Hornets. Taj Gibson could find some spare minutes if Diabate misses this game.

Williams was a late scratch for Friday’s loss to the Kings, with his absence opening up a place in the starting lineup for Jusuf Nurkic. However, Williams’ absence was more impactful on Moussa Diabate, who recorded a double-double off the bench. As for Smith, Seth Curry has been the starter for the games he has missed, and that would remain the case if the second-year guard remains out.

Jusuf Nurkic (eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot in 24 minutes) got the start in place of Mark Williams, but his absence freed up additional opportunities for Diabate in this one. The third-year big man took advantage, recording his seventh double-double of the season and his first since March 8. Given Williams’s injury history, Diabate will have a few more opportunities before the season ends.

A late addition to the Hornets’ injury report, Williams will not play, and his absence is more impactful than Smith’s regarding fantasy basketball. Jusuf Nurkic will likely move into the starting lineup, and Moussa Diabate should also have more minutes available. As for Smith, he did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers, resulting in Seth Curry moving into the starting lineup. Curry should retain that role against the Kings.

After really struggling in Charlotte’s blowout loss to Atlanta on Tuesday, Williams got back to providing dominant big man stats against New York. This was the sixth-straight game that he has played in, and he has recorded a double-double in five of them. Charlotte plays the second night of a back-to-back on Friday, which means that Williams is almost a guarantee to sit out. Moussa Diabate and Jusuf Nurkic will split the minutes at center against Oklahoma City, which isn’t an easy matchup for opposing bigs.