Week 7 will be a busy one, as most of the NBA's 30 teams will play four games. It's the final full week before the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, so the crowded schedule makes some sense. Not only are there scheduling concerns, but there are key injuries as well, with Golden State's Stephen Curry being the most notable. He's dealing with a quad contusion, and while that may not sound serious in nature, it certainly can be. Let's look at the Week 7 schedule breakdown and some key storylines for fantasy managers to be mindful of.
Week 7 Games Played
4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, NYK, ORL, PHI, POR, TOR, UTAH, WAS
3 Games: IND, MEM, MIN, NOR, OKC, SAS
2 Games: PHX, SAC
Week 7 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 6)-Monday: ATL, HOU, LAL, UTA
Monday-Tuesday: WAS
Tuesday-Wednesday: NYK, POR, SAS
Wednesday-Thursday: BKN
Thursday-Friday: BOS, LAL, PHI, TOR, UTA
Friday-Saturday: ATL, CLE, DET, HOU, LAC, MIA, MIL
Saturday-Sunday: GSW
Sunday-Monday (Week 8): None
Antetokounmpo is questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Heat after missing three games with a strained groin.
Week 7 Storylines of Note
- How many games will Stephen Curry miss?
Curry suffered a right quad contusion during the latter stages of the Warriors' November 26 loss to the Rockets. The following day, it was reported that he would be re-evaluated in one week. In theory, an evaluation that goes well could put him in a position to return to action during the latter stages of Week 7. However, using Phoenix's Grayson Allen as an example, fantasy managers can't assume that Curry will be able to return that quickly.
Allen suffered a quad contusion during the Suns' November 13 win over the Pacers. The severity of his injury, with swelling as the problem, kept him out of the lineup for over two weeks, and Allen returned for a November 29 loss to the Nuggets. How severe Curry's injury is has not been made public, so this could be a situation that runs into Week 8. The Warriors play four games in Week 7, concluding with a road back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Bulls on Saturday and Sunday. Brandin Podziemski started Saturday's win over the Pelicans, and that job may be his for the foreseeable future.
- Avoid the Suns and Kings during Week 7 due to their poor schedules.
Phoenix and Sacramento are the only two teams playing just two games in Week 7. And the closest that either gets to playing on a solid streaming day is the Kings' final game, Saturday in Miami. While a Collin Gillespie may be challenging to move on from, given how well he's played, this may be the time to seek other options, especially with Week 8 consisting of the NBA Cup knockout rounds and the two additional games that the other teams will have to play to hit 82 regular-season games.
Sacramento has been a tough team to mine for deep-league value in normal weeks, much less in one in which they'll play only two games. Both teams will be worth a look in Week 8, as their games on December 8 (Phoenix at Minnesota and Sacramento at Indiana) will give them six games instead of five in leagues that combine weeks 8 and 9.
- Thursday is the lone light game day of Week 7, while Friday is the busiest day.
There are only five games on the Thursday schedule, and six of the teams in action will have a back-to-back. While Brooklyn's home game against the Jazz will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Nets, the Celtics, Lakers, 76ers, Raptors and Jazz will play the first game of a back-to-back on Thursday. The least arduous back-to-back on these days belongs to the Raptors, which will host the Lakers and Hornets on Thursday and Friday. The Jazz are on the road for both games, but they'll play the Nets and Knicks, which isn't the worst deal, even with New York City traffic.
The Lakers are also on the road for both games of their back-to-back, visiting the Raptors and Celtics. How will the Lakers manage LeBron James' availability? That's the question there. Philadelphia bears watching because of the injuries that multiple players have been forced to navigate, most notably Joel Embiid and Paul George. Embiid hasn't played since November 8, while George has not reached the point where he can play both games of back-to-backs.
There are 12 games on the schedule for Friday, with 12 of the teams in action having a back-to-back. Five of those 12 will play the second game of a back-to-back on Friday, while the other seven will play the first game of a back-to-back. The Clippers are among those seven teams, but the good news is that Kawhi Leonard played 29 minutes in both games of the team's back-to-back to end Week 6. Hopefully, this is a sign that missing half of a back-to-back due to injury management is a thing of the past, especially with the Clippers struggling to rack up wins.
We dig into shifting rotations, uncovering which players deserve more attention or are falling out of favor.
- The Hawks, Rockets, Lakers and Jazz will have two back-to-backs to navigate.
Speaking of back-to-backs, the Lakers and Jazz are among the few teams that will have to deal with multiple back-to-backs over the next week, beginning with the final game day of Week 6. Regarding the Hawks, Kristaps Porziņģis' status will likely be affected by the schedule, as he has yet to be active in both games of a back-to-back this season. Already ruled out for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, fantasy managers may get three games tops out of Porziņģis, which enhances Onyeka Okongwu's fantasy value.
Regarding the Rockets, Kevin Durant has rejoined the team after missing time for personal reasons, and back-to-backs should not be an issue for him. Utah's situation is interesting because the schedule may not affect the team's fantasy-relevant options. But it may impact the availability of Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson, whose availability has been inconsistent thus far. With the Jazz in a rebuild, there has seldom been room in the rotation for Love and Anderson. We'll see how this is handled during Week 7 and after the December 15 date, when most of the league's players will be eligible to be traded.
- Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto are among the teams with the best schedules to end Week 7.
In total, six teams will play three games between Thursday and Sunday of Week 7. In addition to the Celtics, 76ers and Raptors, the Warriors, Lakers and Jazz have similar schedules. While there are some back-to-back concerns for these teams, that's good news for fantasy managers who are rostering stars whose availability shouldn't be in doubt. Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes are two players who come to mind, although Barnes and the Raptors will play all three of their games at home. On the other side of the coin, Brooklyn and Washington will play three of their four games over the course of the first four days of Week 7, limiting the fantasy value of their players for the back end.
Raphielle Johnson
Eric Samulski