Court Report: Once more, with feeling
Status updates: The Heat are expected to rest LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh on Thursday .. Celtics: Ray Allen is out, Greg Stiemsma is likely out; Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo are all playing .. The Lakers are expected to rest all of their starters on Thursday .. Thom Thibodeau said that he'll play his starters for 20-30 minutes against the Cavs .. Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler are expected to play very little or not at all .. Kyrie Irving will not play on Thursday .. Jason Kidd is out Thursday, and all other Mavs notables will have their minutes closely scrutinized .. Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, and Kris Humphries are out on Thursday .. Expected to be out for the Rockets: Marcus Camby, Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry, and Chandler Parsons .. The Grizzlies have plenty to play for on Thursday (home court in Round 1), while the Magic are expected to rest as many players as possible .. The 76ers will be without Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, and Thaddeus Young again on Thursday, and Jrue Holiday is also expected to be rested .. The Spurs will be without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili on Thursday .. The Jazz will play their starters on Thursday but will not give them significant minutes.
• The litany of shutdowns and rest candidates muddies the matchup picture for tonight's games, but you can view Basketball Monster's ease rankings by clicking here. Good luck to all and thanks for making this yet another great season!
