The NBA is fantastic and there are so many things to talk about each and every week. Whether you are a Fantasy Basketball fanatic or just a fan here is ten things about the NBA that I want you to know about as we head into week ten of the NBA season!
Best NBA Games to Watch This Week
Monday January 1: Orlando Magic at the Brooklyn Nets. This game should be Fantasy Basketball gold as two of the fastest teams in the East square off on New Year’s Day!
Tuesday January 2: Portland Trail Blazers at the Cleveland Cavaliers. This should be a good game featuring the backcourt of the Trail Blazers taking on LeBron James and the Geritol crew.
Wednesday January 3: Cleveland Cavaliers at the Boston Celtics. Lebron James against Kyrie Irving? The Cavaliers won the first battle and this should be a good one.
Thursday January 4: Golden State Warriors at the Houston Rockets. The two best teams in the NBA on a Thursday night? I’m there!
Friday January 5: Toronto Raptors at the Milwaukee Bucks. We’re bringing back Friday night at the fights with this battle between two of the top teams in the East.
Saturday January 6: Chicago Bulls at the Indiana Pacers. Two of the biggest surprises in the East square off on a Saturday night. This should be a fun game to watch.
Sunday January 7: San Antonio Spurs at the Portland Trail Blazers. Good way to end the week with this battle!
You are a Happy Fantasy Basketball Owner If
You have players on your roster from the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs as each of those teams has four games on the schedule this week.
Dunk of the Week
Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams is one of the most underrated centers in the NBA. This past Wednesday evening he did a rim rattling dunk worthy of the dunk of the week!
You are an Unhappy Fantasy Basketball Owner If
You have players on your roster from the Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings as each of these teams only has two games on their schedule this week.
Waiver Wire Pickup of the Week
Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic broke his finger and will be out 6-8 weeks. That sucks for Fantasy Basketball owners and they will be looking to replace him. I suggest you replace him with Bismack Biyumbo. Biyumbo will never score the raw points that Vucevic is able to do but Biyumbo does two things very well; rebound and block shots. Biyumbo will most likely see 30 plus minutes a night for the Magic and he does sport a 47 percent field goal average with a less than desirable 57 percent free throw percentage. I think the blocks and rebounds are worth it and with three games this week (@Brooklyn, Houston and Cleveland) he will have plenty of opportunities to block shots and grab rebounds. Hopefully he scores in double digits because Biyumbo is capable of that as well.
Recency Bias
Christmas Day was a big day for New York Knicks center Enes Kanter. He had a tough matchup at home against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Kanter went off with a 31 point 22 rebound performance. Everything went right for Kanter and for Daily Fantasy players who took the chance on using him and more than likely his monster game made for a nice Christmas Day profit for whoever was brave enough to select him.
Now what do you think happened the very next time Kanter played? If you guessed that he was highly owned than you would be correct. What do you want to bet what happened next? Yep, he flopped and tilted plenty of lineups with a whopping 17 FanDuel points.
This what’s known as “recency bias” and more often than not it bites us all in the keister. We want to believe these players can replicate once in a lifetime monster performances and unless you are a superstar like James Harden or Russell Westbrook. That’s not to say that players get really hot and put up amazing numbers for a game or two because they do. It just doesn’t happen all that often for average players like Kanter.
Do you remember a few weeks back when I suggested that you think “what’s most likely to happen”? If people were banking on a repeat performance from Kanter then they weren’t thinking about what was most likely to happen and instead were wishing in one hand and crapping in the other and hoping their wishes come true. We all know how that goes.
The appeal of the daily game is that everything begins fresh and new. Everyone starts with a clean slate with new opportunities daily. While past performances and big games should and are a part of our daily research we should focus solely on the matchup and the opportunities each matchup presents us.
Tweet of the Week
I don’t know how much truth there is in this tweet but it sure is funny and deserves our Tweet of the Week!
The Tristan Thompson 5 year $82 million contract has got me thinking: should the NBA add a "No dating a Kardashian" clause to NBA player contracts? I mean the dude's averaging 4.1 points and 4.8 rebounds! #NBA #TristanThompson
— Darth Lokus (@agiroLoki) December 29, 2017
Widely Available Streaming Options for Week 12
I don’t know about you but I am a streamer. I’m one of those crazy guys that leaves one roster spot open and looks for the hottest hand in the best matchup possible. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s best to do this in leagues where you are able to make moves daily but I have also had some success streaming in weekly leagues as well. Here are my streaming options for week 12.
Monday: Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Tyus Jones has a nice opportunity against a Los Angeles Lakers defense allowing point guards to average 21.85 Fantasy points per game. Jones has replaced injured point guard Jeff Teague and will see 30 plus minutes in this one.
Tuesday: New York Knicks SF/PF Michael Beasley has a good opportunity at home against a San Antonio Spurs defense he just lit up for 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. He also played 31 minutes in this game and if he gets the minutes he will produce.
Wednesday: Philadelphia 76ers point guard T.J. McConnell has a nice opportunity on Wednesday against a Spurs defense allowing point guards to average 20.6 Fantasy points per game to point guards. McConnell gets 25 minutes a night and is a good source for points, assists and steals with excellent shooting percentages from both the field and the line.
Thursday: With only two games on the schedule check your individual league waiver wire and plug in the best player in the best matchup.
Friday: Detroit Pistons point guard Ish Smith has a nice opportunity Friday night against a Philadelphia 76ers defense allowing point guards to average 22.21 Fantasy points per game. Smith is starting now for injured guard Reggie Jackson and is a good source for points, rebounds and assists with the occasional block and steal.
Saturday: Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray has a good opportunity Saturday night against a Sacramento Kings defense allowing point guards to average 20.57 fantasy points per game to point guards. Murray has been getting the minutes (34.5) recently and when he does he is a good source for points, rebounds, assists, triples with the occasional steal. Murray is also solid from the field and line.
Sunday: Los Angeles Lakers PG/SG Jordan Clarkson has a nice opportunity against an Atlanta Hawks defense allowing point guards to average 21.07 fantasy points per game. Clarkson usually sees between 22-25 minutes a night and is a good source for points, rebounds, assists with the occasional triple and steal plus decent shooting percentages.
Replacing Jeff Teague and Reggie Jackson
To some degree we’ve replaced both of these injured point guards through streaming but what about long term? Both Teague and Jackson will be out for up to six weeks or more and if you are either uncomfortable with streaming or playing in a weekly league here are some options for you to consider.
Dallas Mavericks PG/SG Yogi Ferrell averages about 28 minutes a night for the Mavs and is a good source for points (10.1), Rebounds (3.1), assists (2.3) and knocks down nearly two triples per night with very solid shooting percentages. The Mavericks have three games this week (Golden State, Chicago and New York) and is widely available across the Fantasy Basketball industry.
Phoenix Suns PG Isaiah Canaan averages about 25 minutes a night and is a good source for points (10.1), assists (4.7), rebounds (2.3) with a steal and a triple per game. Canaan is excellent from the line but shoots under 40 percent from the field and has four games this week (Atlanta, @Denver, @San Antonio, Oklahoma City). Canaan is widely available across the Fantasy Basketball industry.
Chicago Bulls PG Kris Dunn is still widely available and is a good source for points (13.2), rebounds (4.6), assists (5.9) and two steals while playing roughly 29 minutes per game. Dunn is solid from the field but under 70 percent from the line and with four games this week (Portland, Toronto, @Dallas and @Indiana) Dunn would be a great pickup this week.
Widely Available Assist Leaders
Assists matter. I should stop right there and give you a few names shouldn’t I? Okay, here are some widely available players who can help you boost your assist totals this week.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie is widely available across the Fantasy Basketball industry and is averaging 6.5 assists this season. D’Angelo Russell isn’t expected back for a couple more weeks and with three games this week (Orlando, Minnesota and Boston) Dinwiddie would be a great addition to your lineup.
Boston Celtics PG/SG Marcus Smart is also widely available and is averaging 4.9 assists playing 30 minutes per game. Smart also stuffs the stat sheet and with three games this week (Cleveland, Minnesota and @Brooklyn) Smart will also make a great addition to your lineup this week.
Utah Jazz SF/PF Joe Ingles is also widely available and is averaging 4.2 assists playing 30.3 minutes a night for the Jazz. Ingles is also a good source for triples (2.4) and rebounds (4.4) and with three games this week (New Orleans, @Denver and @Miami) and should help you out this week.
Enjoy the NBA this week!!
Follow Phil @Flashtennis31 and The Phil Naessens Show.
