Week 7 concludes the first-ever NBA in-season tournament, with quarterfinals scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The four winners will play in the semifinals (Thursday) and finals (Saturday) in Las Vegas, while the four losers will compete on Friday. All four quarterfinal matchups involve teams that were already scheduled to play each other four times during the regular season, so it’s interesting to see how that familiarity impacts fantasy production later this year. would be interesting.
The other 22 teams will play two home and away games in Week 7 on Wednesday and Friday. The title game has no impact on league records or fantasy basketball, so Friday will be a manager’s last chance to score points for the week. Let’s take a look at Week 7, when all 30 teams played only two official games.
Games played in week 7
2 games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOR, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR , SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Week 7 Storyline
– This is a good schedule week for the Timberwolves.
Fantasy managers may do more to target specific matchups by having all teams play the same number of games that officially count. Minnesota would be a good place to start as they have two games against the Spurs (Wednesday, home) and Grizzlies (Friday, away). The question hanging over this team, which has the best record in the Western Conference and has four players in the top 100 in value per game in a nine-cat format, is starters Anthony Edwards (hip) and Jaden McDaniels. (Ankle) health condition. Edwards recently joined McDaniels on the sideline, with Troy Brown Jr. joining Nickel Alexander-Walker as a double replacement. NAW hasn’t exploded, but he’s done well enough to deserve distribution in deep leagues. But with no game against Minnesota until Wednesday, his time as a streamer may be coming to an end.
– Eligible players to play against Wizards and Spurs
San Antonio isn’t the only team the coach wants to target in Week 7. Charlotte, Washington and Utah also rank in the bottom five in defensive efficiency, but Memphis is without multiple players due to injury. And Detroit has lost 16 straight games. Some of the most exciting matchups for fantasy managers who have opponents on their roster include Philadelphia vs. Washington (Wednesday), Utah vs. Dallas (Wednesday), and Detroit vs. Orlando (Friday).
– Losers of the quarterfinals will have a rematch on December 8th.
As mentioned in the intro, the four teams that lost in the quarterfinals on Monday and Tuesday will play on Friday, so there will be 13 games. And there will be no conference crossover in these games, so the losers of Boston/Indiana and New York/Milwaukee will face each other, as well as the losers of the Lakers in New Orleans/Sacramento and Phoenix/Los Angeles. A fantasy manager with a player who tied the Pacers at some point in Week 7 could be in a very good position. The Pacers lead the NBA in offensive rating, but are 28th in defensive rating. Of his seven other quarterfinalists, Phoenix (18th), Sacramento (19th) and Milwaukee (20th) rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating. For the Bucks, incorporating more drop coverage changed things, which benefited Brook Lopez.
– Will Porzingis be able to return to the Celtics?
Kristaps Porzingis has missed the last three games in Boston with a calf strain, and Celtics manager Joe Mazzula said before Friday’s win over the 76ers that the 7-foot-3 big man is now an everyday player. He said that he is considered to exist. Porzingis could be available for Monday’s quarterfinal game against the Pacers, which could impact Al Horford’s role and playing time in the Celtics’ rotation. With Porzingis sidelined, Sam Hauser is also worth watching in that spot, averaging 26.1 minutes per game off the bench.
– What will the Nuggets’ rotation look like in Week 7?
Jamal Murray returned from a hamstring strain on Nov. 29, but was unable to play two nights later in Phoenix. Add to that the fact that Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic and Reggie Jackson were out on the injury report, and the Nuggets weren’t at full strength in Week 6. Will that continue in Week 7? Gordon has been sidelined since Nov. 24 and could be the key to that question, as Justin Holiday fills the void in the starting lineup. Holiday, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson aren’t exactly on the streaming radar as they aren’t enrolled in more than 5 percent of Yahoo leagues, but their absences have extended their playing time.
light game day
Monday: 2 games
BOS vs. IND
NOR vs. SAC
Tuesday: 2 games
NYK vs. MIL
PHO vs. LAL
Thursday: 2 games
In-season tournament semifinals (Las Vegas)
Saturday: 1 game
In-Season Tournament Finals (Las Vegas, does not count towards fantasy scores)
Sunday: 0 games
No back-to-back games in Week 7