Category: Basketball

Basketball News

Posted on

2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Week 21 Schedule Breakdown

For many fantasy leagues, Week 21 is "Championship Week." And with the growing injury lists, crafting lineups is more difficult now than during winter. The good news is that every team will play at least three games during Week 21, and the schedule is evenly distributed. Let's look at the Week 21 schedule breakdown and some of its key storylines.

Week 21 Games Played

4 Games: BKN, DAL, IND, LAL, MIL, NYK, ORL, PHI, PHO, SAC, SAS, TOR, WAS

3 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIN, NOR, OKC, POR, UTA

Week 21 Storylines

- There are no extremely light games during Week 21.

Week 21 should be good for fantasy basketball, as no day has fewer than six games on the schedule. And with the four busiest days all boasting eight-game slates, there should be no shortage of options available to fantasy managers. At this point in the season, targeting teams well on their way to the draft lottery is a good place to start. While the Jazz will only play three games during Week 21, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington and Philadelphia are among those who will play four.

- Philadelphia will have to navigate two back-to-backs.

The 76ers are the only team with two back-to-backs scheduled between March 23 and March 30. With Joel Embiid and Paul George officially done for the season and Tyrese Maxey still sidelined with his injuries, the door has swung wide open for Quentin Grimes. However, he's played so well that it's fair to wonder if there will come a point when Philadelphia looks to cut his playing time under the guise of an "injury." Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV, Adem Bona (when healthy) and Jared Butler are a few players who will have added value as the 76ers look to improve their draft lottery odds.

- How many games will LeBron James (groin) play during Week 21?

James returned to the Lakers' lineup on March 22 against the Bulls, making his first appearance since March 8. His return impacts the entire Lakers' rotation, beginning with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves not taking on as much of the offensive workload. Also, Jordan Goodwin would return to the bench, where he has minimal fantasy impact. Rui Hachimura's return will also impact the rotation, as the matchup with Chicago was his first game after missing nearly one month with a left knee injury. The Lakers play four games during Week 21, including a midweek back-to-back. In addition to James' injury, Doncic and Reaves (among others) have recently been held out of a game for injury management reasons.

- Kings are expected to provide an update on Domantas Sabonis (ankle).

At the time of Sabonis' sprained right ankle, the Kings announced that he would be re-evaluated in 10 days. March 29 would be the tenth day, and the Kings are scheduled to play the Magic that night. That's the third of three games Sacramento is scheduled to play during Week 21, so fantasy managers will continue to rely on Jonas Valanciunas. However, he's rostered in over 80 percent of Yahoo! leagues, meaning fantasy managers looking to make an addition will need to focus on Keon Ellis, Trey Lyles or Jake LaRavia. The Sabonis question will be more about Week 22 than Week 21, and the Kings have a four-game schedule for Week 22.

- Will Nikola Jokic (ankle) be able to return from injury during Week 21?

The Nuggets' March 23 game against the Rockets will be the fourth Jokic has missed with a sprained ankle. With the Nuggets' three-game Week 21 beginning with a Sunday/Monday back-to-back, the three-time MVP may be available for all three games if he's cleared. And beggars can't be choosers; three games or Jokic is superior to none, given his impact on the Nuggets and fantasy basketball. The Joker's absence has raised Aaron Gordon's fantasy ceiling, and he's scored 23 points or more in three straight games.

- Can Stephen Curry (pelvis) return during the Warriors' road trip?

Before the Warriors' March 22 game against the Hawks, head coach Steve Kerr said he hoped Curry would be able to return from his injury at some point during the team's six-game road trip. The trip won't conclude until April 3 against the Lakers, and the Warriors have a home game against the Nuggets the following night. Rookie center Quentin Post returned to the starting lineup in Atlanta, but he may not be a lock to retain that role for the entire trip. Golden State can (and has) used Draymond Green at the five as part of a smaller lineup, which could be used to get Jonathan Kuminga more time on the court. Buddy Hield will be more valuable to managers needing three-point production, while Brandin Podziemski and Jimmy Butler should see their respective usages increase. The Warriors play three games during Week 21, starting with the Heat on Tuesday.

- It's "Red Velvet Time" in Chicago despite the Bulls only playing three games.

Bulls backup point guard Tre Jones has played well since moving into the starting lineup, filling the void left by the injured Lonzo Ball. However, he suffered a left midfoot sprain on March 20 and will be out for at least two weeks. Jones' injury makes things simple for the Bulls, as Josh Giddey's return to the starting lineup did not bump Kevin Huerter to the bench. While a three-game schedule isn't the best, Huerter's status as a starter makes him worth holding onto for Week 21. The Bulls will play four games during Week 22.

Light Game Days

Wednesday: 6 Games

WAS vs. PHI
TOR vs. BKN
LAL vs. IND
LAC vs. NYK
MIL vs. DEN
BOS vs. PHO

Week 21 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 20)-Monday: BOS, DEN, NOR, PHI, TOR

Monday-Tuesday: DAL, ORL, SAC

Tuesday-Wednesday: NYK

Wednesday-Thursday: IND, LAL, WAS

Thursday-Friday: CLE, UTA

Friday-Saturday: BKN

Saturday-Sunday: PHI, SAS

Sunday-Monday (Week 22): HOU, LAC

Posted on

Cam Payne, Tyler Kolek provide Knicks with the spark they needed in win over Wizards

The Knicks’ guard depth is really being put to the test. 

New York is already without All-Star captain Jalen Brunson as he missed his eight consecutive game with a right ankle sprain -- and on Saturday night his replacement was sidelined as well, as Miles McBride was ruled out pregame due to a lingering groin injury. 

Insert Cam Payne and Tyler Kolek. 

The veteran Payne jumped into the starting lineup for just the second time this season and he provided an immediate boost on both ends of the floor -- leading the way for New York with 10 first quarter points, four assists, and three points to open an early advantage. 

“Shout out to Cam,” Karl-Anthony Towns said postgame. “He stepped in like a true professional and led us. He gave us the spark we needed, without that kind of start from him I don’t know how this game goes -- shoutout to him for real.”

Even with that big spark, Tom Thibodeau elected to turn to Kolek to play the entire second quarter as the Knicks held a big lead and he provided a boost of his own -- recording four points while dishing a career-high eight assists. 

The 23-year-old has been bouncing back-and-forth between the pros and the G League throughout his rookie campaign, but he was certainly impressive in what was his first first-half action since January 1. 

“Tyler gave us great minutes,” Thibodeau said postgame. “We built the lead which allowed  Cam to get some rest there. It was more how the team was functioning. We stayed organized and he was making the right reads — it was good to see, he’s done a good job for us.”

And later on, it was Payne again, who provided one of the biggest shots of the night. 

New York led by as many as 33 points early in the third quarter, but a tremendous Wizards run enabled them to cut that all the way back down to four -- before the veteran guard knocked down a massive three to get the Knicks back on track. 

They ended up holding on from their to snap their two-game losing skid with a 122-103 win. 

“We have to play tougher with the lead,” Thibodeau said. “But that was a big shot for us. Cam ins’t afraid to let it fly in those spots, which is what we like about him. He stepped up and gave us some really good minutes tonight.”

It remains to be seen if McBride will miss any more time with the injury, but with Brunson still only participating in controlled activities, the Knicks will certainly need their guards to build off this strong showing. 

New York plays again on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Posted on

Houston holds off Gonzaga to make 6th straight Sweet 16

Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and former Big 12 player of the year Marcus Morris Sr. react to the Cougars’ 81-76 win over the Bulldogs to advance to the regional semifinal for the sixth consecutive season - and end the ‘Zags run of nine straight Sweet 16 appearances.

Posted on

No. 1 seed Houston holds off Gonzaga comeback, beats No. 8 seed Bulldogs 81-76 to reach Sweet 16

LJ Cryer matched a career high with 30 points, including two free throws with 14.2 seconds left, and No. 1 seed Houston held on to beat eighth-seeded Gonzaga 81-76 on Saturday night to reach the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight NCAA Tournament. J'Wan Roberts added 18 points and Milos Uzan made two last free throws with 2.1 seconds left, giving the Cougars (32-4) their 15th consecutive win and pushing them into a regional semifinal against No. 4 seed Purdue on Friday night in Indianapolis. Houston also ended Gonzaga's run of nine straight Sweet 16s, which had been the longest active streak in the nation.

Posted on

In March Madness, BYU gets a stop, then gets to go … to Sweet 16 with 91-89 win over Wisconsin

The BYU Cougars led the entire game Saturday but still had to make one, final defensive stop against Wisconsin's irrepressible guard, John Tonje, to seal a 91-89 victory over the Badgers and the program's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2011 — the days of Jimmer Fredette. In a much-welcomed and rare March Madness nailbiter, Tonje finished with 37 points to become the first player to crack 30 this year in the tournament. “You watched the game and you’re kind of like, ‘How did we get to a two-point game here, you know?’” said Fredette, who took things in from about 10 rows up in the stands in the same arena where he led BYU to its last Sweet 16 trip.

Posted on

Knicks' offense busts out, breaks two-game skid with 122-103 win over Wizards

The Knicks snapped their two-game losing streak with a much-needed 122-103 win over the league-worst Washington Wizards on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Here are some takeaways...

- The Knicks' offense has struggled mightily with captain clutch Jalen Brunson sidelined for the past eight games due to his right ankle injury, but they were finally able to receive the big-time shooting performance that they've been looking for to pull out a much-needed win in this one.

One of the biggest reasons behind their back-to-back losses in San Antonio and Charolette was slow offensive starts. New York finally came out flying in this one, shooting an even 50 percent from the field (four threes) to open an early advantage, which they barely held onto.

- New York's lineup did take another big hit coming into the night, as Miles McBride was ruled out with a groin injury after attempting to go through pregame warmups, so Cameron Payne was inserted into the starting five and he provided a nice boost on both ends of the floor.

The veteran guard led the way in the first quarter, knocking down a pair of threes to help the Knicks open an early advantage. He went on to finish with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field (all threes) while dishing six assists and reeling in four rebounds in his second start of the year.

- Mikal Bridges put together one of his best halves of the season. After a quiet showing in the first, he was lights out during the second quarter, picking up 20 of his 27 points on the night -- including a stretch where he knocked down four consecutive threes to help put the game out of reach.

- Rookie point guard Tyler Kolek took advantage of that stretch, as he picked up four points and a career-high seven assists while playing the whole second quarter. The youngster has been back-and-forth between the pros and Westchester this season, and this was his first time seeing first half minutes since the beginning of the new year.

- Karl-Anthony Towns was quiet during the first half, but he made his mark early and often in the second, scoring or assisting on five of the Knicks' first six buckets in the third quarter. The big man made some clutch buckets down the stretch and finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

- OG Anunoby sat during the second quarter after picking up three early fouls, but he was also tremendous offensively, picking up 23 points while knocking down four of five threes. Josh Hart had just nine points but he topped the double-digit mark in rebounds again, bringing in 11.

- The Knicks did have a little bit of a scare late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, as Washington was able to cut a 33-point deficit all the way back down to four, but they locked in during the final frame and held on to pick up their 44th win of the season.

- MSG broke out in PJ Tucker chants for the second straight home blowout, but the veteran didn't see the floor.

Game MVP: Mikal Bridges

Bridges simply couldn't miss during the second quarter, and it helped the Knicks put this one out of reach.

Highlights

Whats next

The Knicks have two days off before they host the Dallas Mavericks at MSG on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.