Portland Trail Blazers(13-22) at Los Angeles Lakers(18-19)
It is only fitting that we end 2021 with LeBron James as the fantasy star of the night. The ageless superstar scored 43 points while adding 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks en route a 139-106 win. He has been amazing over the past seven games but it has only translated to two wins during that stretch. James sits inside the top-three fantasy players this year and could pass Nikola Jokic for the top spot if he continues this high level of play. Russell Westbrook posted his fourth straight triple-double in the win, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Although Russ has his ups and downs on the court, he remains an elite fantasy option with nightly triple-double upside. He has struggled with turnovers and poor shooting numbers this year which has resulted in poor category play. He sits just inside the top-100 and should not move much from this spot.
The Trail Blazers could not match the offensive firepower from the Lakers on Friday. Ben McLemore finished with 28 points off the bench on 6-14 three-point shooting. While he should see some extra opportunities with Anfernee Simons out with Covid, he should not be relied upon for these scoring numbers. Damian Lillard finished with 18 points and seven assists on a night where he was hounded by Laker defenders. He will look to get back to the top-25 player that he is in his next game.
Phoenix Suns(27-8) at Boston Celtics(17-19)
The Boston Celtics win a statement game against the powerhouse Suns, winning 123-108. Robert Williams recorded his first career triple-double and was a huge part of the Celtics being able to come away with a win. He finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, five blocks, and two steals. Robert Williams had a career day to end the year, and fantasy managers will hope for more as he tries to push his way into the top-50 players. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart fueled the offense with 24 points each. Brown has stepped into a larger role since Jayson Tatum entered health and safety protocols and will enjoy an extra usage bump for the next few games. This will help Brown try to push up the fantasy ranks as he has struggled this year, just barely in the top-70 players.
The Suns fought hard until the end but never managed to get within reach of the win. Without DeAndre Ayton and JaVale Mcgee in the lineup, Jalen Smith grabbed the start and finished with 19 points and seven rebounds while battling some foul trouble. Ayton should be back within the next week, but Smith should enjoy some extra minutes until then. Devin Booker finished as the leading scorer for the Suns, yet it was an ugly game for him, shooting 7-26 on the day. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists. He hovers around the top-30 category players and should continue to sit around there for the rest of the year.
Chicago Bulls(23-10) at Indiana Pacers(14-22)
The Bulls somehow found a way to win behind a last-second heave from DeMar DeRozan, who led the way with 28 points but only shot 8-24 from the field. The Bulls big three of DeRozan, LaVine, and Vucevic all struggled from the field, shooting a combined 37% on the afternoon. Coby White stepped up with the main Bulls struggling, scoring 24 points on 6-7 three-point shooting. White should continue to see some extra usage with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso out of the lineup, but both should be back within the next week.
The Pacers played hard and were in the game until the end without two key players in Malcolm Brogdon and Chris Duarte. Caris Levert has stepped up with Brogdon being out with illness and injury the last few games and continued it yesterday with 27 points, six rebounds, and six assists. He sits just outside the top-100 players and could make a push with Brogdon expected to miss at least the next week. Domantas Sabonis continues his all-around great season with his 26th double-double of the year. He finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Sabonis is top-five in rebounds in the NBA, but turnovers, free-throw shooting, and lack of three-pointers put a damper on his fantasy value.
Dallas Mavericks(17-18) at Sacramento Kings(15-22)
The Mavericks continue to try to stay afloat in the absence of Luka Doncic and pull within one game of .500 with a 112-96 win. Kristaps Porzingis looks like the player he was before the ACL injury and has been carrying the Mavs along with Jalen Brunson. Porzingis finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. He has been a top-15 fantasy player this year and should continue to command a larger portion of usage while he recovers from injury and illness. Brunson has been the main beneficiary of Doncic’s absence sitting just outside the top-100 with the boosted numbers from his last few weeks. He finished with 23 points and eight assists on Friday afternoon. Josh Green has played 26 or more minutes in the last three games and should be watched in deeper leagues.
The Kings could not get anything going offensively after a hot start in Sacramento, failing to score more than 20 points in any of the last three quarters. Even in their struggles tonight, Tyrese Haliburton led the charge. In fact, he has completely taken over the offense with 10 or more assists in seven of his last eight games, finishing with 17 points and 10 assists in Friday’s loss. He sits just outside of the top-30 players and could be on the rise if he continues to have full control of the offense. Damian Jones has taken over as the backup center and is a direct backup to Richaun Holmes, who is barely reaching 30 minutes most nights. With Jones reaching nearly 20 minutes a night, he can be looked at in deep leagues that need rebounds and high field goal percentages.
Miami Heat(23-13) at Houston Rockets(10-26)
The Heat welcomed back Kyle Lowry at a needed time as they have players joining and being removed from the Covid list almost daily. The Heat went on to win 120-110 over the Rockets on Friday behind 37 points from Jimmy Butler. Butler ranks within the top-10 fantasy players and should continue to play a huge role on offense with Bam Adebayo out for a few more weeks. Omer Yurtseven started his third straight game since Dwayne Dedmon went down with a sprained MCL. If he is still on the waiver wire, go add this guy right now. Yurtseven has 12 or more rebounds in seven straight games and a double-double in each of the last three games he’s started. He should continue to play a major role moving forward as Dedmon is out for the near future.
The Rockets lost their sixth straight game as they continue their ups and downs. Jae’Sean Tate led the way off the bench with 22 points and seven rebounds. Although his upside is hurt now that the Rockets are healthier, he can still have these scoring outbursts off the bench. Christian Wood finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Wood continues to disappoint as he sits outside of the top-130 players after 36 games this season.
Atlanta Hawks(16-19) at Cleveland Cavaliers(20-16)
The Hawks, like many teams around the league, played another game missing quite a few key players to injury and health and safety protocols. They managed to beat an even more shorthanded Cavs team, 121-118. Trae Young led the way with massive performance scoring 35 points and adding 11 assists. Young is an elite category player, dominating the points and assists categories while adding a huge boost in free throw shooting and three-pointers. Clint Capela played 40 minutes on Friday night, finishing with 18 points and a season-high 23 rebounds. Capela is just inside the top-100 players this year and does not provide much outside of elite rebounding numbers.
The Cavaliers are decimated by injuries after losing Ricky Rubio to a torn ACL. They recently acquired Rajon Rondo, who will likely fill a starting role until Darius Garland returns from health and safety protocols. Kevin Love has stepped up offensively lately both in the starting lineup and off the bench. He finished with a team-high 35 points while adding 11 rebounds for a double-double. He sits in the top-85 players and could see his production rise if the Cavs continue to increase his minutes from his season average of 20.5. Jarrett Allen was welcomed back from the Covid-19 list and finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in his return. Allen will look to get back into top-25 form in the next week as he comes back from Covid.
Los Angeles Clippers(18-18) at Toronto Raptors(15-17)
The Raptors ended the year on a high note beating the Clippers 116-108. Fred VanVleet finished with 31 points and nine assists in last night’s win. He remains an elite fantasy player, ranking in the top-15 players this season. Pascal Siakam has not skipped a beat since returning from the Covid-19 list two games ago. He finished with 29 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and two steals. Siakam has struggled with injury and illness this year, but the last two games have been promising for fantasy managers.
The Clippers are dealing with quite a few injuries along with players being placed in health and safety protocols. Marcus Morris Sr. has stepped up in the absence of Paul George who is expected to miss about a month because of elbow surgery. Morris finished with 20 points, a mark he has hit in his last three games since returning from the Covid list. He will look to improve off these performances while remaining a top option offensively for the depleted Clippers. Terance Mann added a double-double finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He should keep this sizeable role in the offense while playing massive minutes in close games. Mann does a little bit of everything but does not excel in one particular category.
San Antonio Spurs(14-20) at Memphis Grizzlies(23-14)
The Memphis Grizzlies keep on rolling behind Ja Morant who has become a star before everyone’s eyes. Morant finished with 30 points, eight assists, and six rebounds and was a huge catalyst in their 118-105 win over the Spurs. He was on a tear before spraining his knee, but he appears to be fully recovered as he has gone back to the same Ja Morant from before his injury. Steven Adams added a double-double in the win, ending with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He has had his ups and downs throughout the year but remains a solid option for rebounds but does not provide much elsewhere.
The Spurs find themselves riding a two-game losing streak into the new year. Derrick White, Jakob Poeltl, and Bryn Forbes each ended tied for the leading scorer with 15 points. Derrick White added nine assists while only playing 24 minutes. This night will be forgotten by the Spurs as they struggled all around as a team.
New York Knicks(17-19) at Oklahoma City Thunder(13-22)
The Thunder took down the Knicks 95-80 on Friday night behind 23 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The star guard has been playing very well lately, scoring 20 or more points in his last six games. SGA ranks just outside the top-50 players this year and could bump even higher if he can improve his shooting numbers. Aaron Wiggins has played very well of late and added 13 points last night in the win. He appears to be locked into a sizeable role for a Thunder team that is only geared toward the future. He does not have much value outside of scoring, but he is a name to keep an eye on in deeper leagues.
The Knicks were without Julius Randle and Kemba Walker on Friday night. Randle is in the league’s health and safety protocols, while Kemba was a late scratch because “something was not right” with his knee. If Walker were to miss serious time, Miles McBride and Immanuel Quickley would see extra minutes while Alec Burks could also see an increased role. RJ Barrett led the way with 26 points last night in what was a rather disappointing game for the Knicks. Immanuel Quickley was the only other Knick to finish in double digits scoring 11 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves(16-19) at Utah Jazz(26-9)
Utah continues to dominate the regular, winning 120-108 over the Timberwolves on Friday. Donovan Mitchell led the way with a monster performance that would have landed him the fantasy star of the night if not for LeBron James. Mitchell finished with 39 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Mitchell continues to grow as a player both in real life and in fantasy. He is a top-15 player in category leagues and has almost no negatives to his game outside of turnover numbers. Rudy Gobert dominated inside finishing with 14 points and 16 rebounds while adding four blocks. He does very little outside of these three categories but remains a top center option because of his elite rebounding and block upside.
The Wolves are one of many teams that are decimated by the Covid-19 virus. Anthony Edwards was the leader in Minnesota on Friday and finished with 26 points before fouling out in 32 minutes. He has taken a massive leap from his rookie year and ranks within the top-35 players. He will enjoy a larger role until both Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russel return from health and safety protocols. Malik Beasley was the second-leading scorer with 22 points on 6-14 three-point shooting. He has very little fantasy value outside of three-pointers and ranks outside of the top-200 players.
