2016 NBA Weekly Planner: Week 9

Week 9 is a slow week of NBA, as only nine teams have four game weeks and the Sixers and Raptors only have two games. However, there are some interesting matchups this week as we approach the end of the year.

The Best of the Best

Oklahoma City Thunder

Every week is a good game to own Russell Westbrook, even if you only get two games of him. But this week with four premium matchups, it’s time to load up on your Thunder players. With Victor Oladipo’s health still uncertain, the Thunder could have a ton of good pickups this week, including Jerami Grant, Andre Roberson and Anthony Morrow depending on how deep your league is. With games against the Hawks, Pelicans, Celtics and Wolves, Westbrook might be a player of the week candidate in Week 9.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota took a leap forward in Week 8. They player the Warriors to an eight-point game and took Houston to overtime. Even though they lost both those games, you can start to see things coming together for the young Wolves. Karl-Anthony Towns and company are in for a huge week with three of their games against teams that rank in the top seven in pace, while their fourth game is against Sacramento who ranks 20th in defensive rating this season. If the Wolves continue playing well, fantasy owners will certainly benefit.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are on national TV three times this week and they might be fun to watch. Even with a back to back on Thursday/Friday, San Antonio has one of, if not the best fantasy week of any team in Week 9. While their matchup with the Clippers on Thursday might be the toughest game, they get to play Houston, Portland and Chicago this week. As long as Gregg Popovich doesn’t bench anyone for the back to back, it’s a great week to be a Spurs owner.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Not only do we have a Christmas Day matchup between the Cavaliers and Warriors to look forward to this week, but also the Cavs have a great fantasy week ahead. The only problem is they have another back to back and Kevin Love has already been ruled out Tuesday night. They did that last week against Memphis and Kyrie Irving didn’t play either game meaning Irving owners got one game from him last week. The Cavs could also try to rest some guys for their game against the Nets on Friday, so even though it’s a nice week on paper for Cleveland, if you own one of the members of the big three you probably aren’t getting four games from your stars.

Golden State Warriors

After their game against the Jazz to start the week on Tuesday, the Warriors have two warm-up games before their meeting with the Cavaliers on Christmas. However, their back to back between the Nets and Pistons is where things get dicey. Their game against the Nets might have a spread of 30 points and could be over before halftime, but for the most part the Warriors should provide peak fantasy value as long as they don’t rest anyone on that second night against the Pistons.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers have a great week ahead of them. All four games are at home, (they are technically the road team against the Lakers on Christmas) three of them are on national TV and two of them are against fast-paced teams with weak defenses. LA’s offense has also been cooking lately. In their last five games they have scored nearly 116 points per game and coming off their loss over the weekend to the Wizards, they should take out their frustrations on the Nuggets on Tuesday.

Boston Celtics

Even though Boston’s week doesn’t start well with a road game against the league’s slowest paced team, the Memphis Grizzlies, it gets progressively better as the week goes on. Isaiah Thomas is back which should have some nice collateral benefits to the rest of the roster. Al Horford has played extremely well since Thomas has been back and with games against the Pacers, Thunder and Knicks, lock in your Boston fantasy assets this week.        

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been falling apart. They own the 29th ranked effective field goal percentage of any team and they are shooting 30.3% from downtown. They are easily the worst shooting team in the league right now and it’s having an effect on their fantasy assets. Plus, teams are starting to defend them differently, ultimately daring them to shoot jump shots and packing the painted area with defenders. It’s led to their offense averaging 92.9 points over their last eight games. Plus, even though they have four games this week, three of them are against teams that rank among the top six teams in defensive rating. The Pistons, Spurs and Hornets allow 104.3 points per 100 possessions or less this season.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have a four game week ahead of them but it’s not as rosy as it appears on paper. Three of their games are against teams that rank inside the top 12 in defensive rating, but their back to back is only between Miami and Orlando and they get a Christmas Day showdown with the Clippers on Sunday. Plus, they have some nice waiver potential in shallower leagues. Nick Young dropped 32 points against the Cavaliers on Saturday and Brandon Ingram is playing very well as of late. If they’re out there, scoop them up.

Notable Three-Game Weeks

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are still trying to find out their identity and while they do that they have one of the best three-games weeks of any team. Two of their games are against teams that play as fast as the Hawks and their other is against the Wolves who are allowing 111.4 points per 100 possessions. Considering the Hawks’ offense is averaging nearly 115 points per game over their last four, they should be a prime source of fantasy value in yearlong leagues. 

Brooklyn Nets

Jeremy Lin is back and starting to get his minutes ramped back up, so if for whatever reason he is still on waivers go pick him up. Other than Lin, Brook Lopez and Trevor Booker, it’s hard to find consistent fantasy value with the Nets though. Their three-game week looks inviting, but they will almost certainly be double-digit underdogs against the Raptors, Warriors and Cavaliers, so there might also be some garbage minutes available for the Nets this week too.

Indiana Pacers

Indiana has started to play better and without Monta Ellis for the potentially the entire week, fantasy value is being consolidated in Indianapolis. Paul George has played well recently while guys like C.J. Miles and Glenn Robinson III are going to have added fantasy appeal while Ellis is out. Plus, they have games against the Wizards, Knicks and Celtics, who averaging allowing 108.8 points per 100 possessions this season.

New York Knicks

The Knicks have a nice three-game week ahead of them for Week 9. All three of their games are at home and all three are against mediocre defenses. Considering they are coming into the week after losing three straight, it should benefit their fantasy studs as well. The Pacers and Celtics are inconsistent defensive teams, while the Magic have allowed over 113 points per game in their last seven. The Knicks’ big three should all have above average weeks.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are one of the hardest teams to figure out. Their defense is elite but their offense goes fro good to great to horrible to middling with every passing game. They welcome in the Warriors on Friday night, which should be a game where their starters will all have fantasy value, but their showdown with Memphis in the middle of the week might end up as the lowest scoring games of the season. Stan Van Gundy is also reportedly looking into changing up his starting lineup, so a speculative add of Jon Leuer might be in order this week if he is healthy.

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas won only their seventh game of the season over the weekend, so eventually it’s going to be time for this team to evaluate their young players. It is still only December, but this team isn’t going to get significantly better even when Dirk Nowitzki eventually returns. Their core three player should all have good games this week though. They start against Denver and Portland, who both rank among the bottom seven teams in points allowed per 100 possessions this season. However, all three being on the road hurts some.

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis has lost both games since Mike Conley returned to the lineup, but that should quickly change as he gets his legs back. Memphis has an interesting fantasy week with two great games sandwiched around one tough one against the Detroit Pistons. Detroit ranks second behind only the Grizzlies in defensive rating, but the other two are against Boston and Houston, two solid pace-up opponents. Look for the Grizzlies to start figuring things out this week after two straight losses.

Phoenix Suns

Phoenix has one of the best three game weeks of any team for fantasy this week. They play Minnesota, Houston and Philadelphia, three teams allowing an average of 108.6 points per 100 possessions. With what could be a fine week ahead, it might be time to start to try and trade for some of the Suns. Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe are starting to turn things on, while Tyson Chandler is playing like he is 28 again. These three and some of the other Suns role players should be in for big weeks.

Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee just got done with a double feature last week against the Bulls last week where Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Now the Greek Freak gets the same home-and-home matchup against the Cavaliers. Cleveland just did one of these against Memphis last week where they rested their stars on the road portion, so they might end up doing the same this week. If that happens and Antetokounmpo doesn’t have to face off against Lebron James in one or both of those games, it could be another huge week for the young Bucks with their third game against the Wizards.

New Orleans Pelicans

Anthony Davis gets a matchup with the 76ers to start his week, making him a good candidate to lead Tuesday night in scoring, but after that it gets tricky for the Pelicans and their star. They get to go back home but they welcome in the Thunder and Heat, two tough defensive opponents. They both rank inside the top 12 teams in defensive rating and while the Thunder play faster than New Orleans, the one against Miami represents a tough pace-down game. Other than Davis and Jrue Holiday, it’s hard to find consistent fantasy value from the Pelicans, but Buddy Hield is playing better and is worth an add, while Tyreke Evans is back and should see his minutes start to ramp up within the next few weeks.

Orlando Magic

Orlando’s defense has been falling apart and while their offense is hit or miss, after a tough game on the road in Miami, their other two games this week should be strong fantasy values. The Magic are also allowing over 113 points per game in their last seven, which could lead to some higher scoring games. Orlando also gets games against the Knicks and Lakers this week, who are both allowing an average of 111 points per 100 possessions. Look for guys like Serge Ibaka and Evan Fournier to have nice weeks.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz look legit. They have won seven of their last eight games, even with a banged up roster. Their defense and pace is usually a fantasy killer, but with three prime games this week, the Jazz might have some extra fantasy value. They get a game against the Warriors to start the week, followed by games against the Kings and Raptors. The latter two teams rank 19th and 20th in defensive rating, while the Warriors are about as pace-up as they come. Behind Gordon Hayward, who is playing like a second round pick right now, Utah might be poised for a playoff berth this season.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings fumbled around last week due to some injuries and resting DeMarcus Cousins in a game. However, while their three-game week is dampened some by a game against the Jazz, matchups against the Blazers on Tuesday and the Wolves on Friday should be primed with fantasy goodness. It will be interesting to see who gets the better of one another between Cousins and Karl-Anthony Towns, but with Rudy Gay banged up there are some great pickups for the Kings. Omri Casspi and Matt Barnes should see starters minutes while Gay is out, so pick them up if you’re in need of some help beyond the arc.

Washington Wizards

Washington is on the road all week, but they are also playing really well lately. Washington’s offense has scored an average of nearly 112 points per game in their last five and it’s because of a combination of strong shooting and a quicker pace. If the Wizards are starting to play faster, it’s going to increase the value of their backcourt. Plus, with the Wizards running one of the shortest rotations in the league, if you own one of their starters, you can almost certainly count on them all getting nearly 35 minutes or more per game. This is very good for fantasy, as long as they stay healthy and don’t run out of steam by playoff time.

The Rest

Denver Nuggets

Denver’s three game week it’s the greatest, but they kicked it off with a big win and with their tightening rotations, it’s really helping some of the fantasy stars in Denver. Nikola Jokic is starting at center now and back to playing like he did to close out his rookie season, while Gary Harris is healthy and playing well too. This also should have a positive impact on a struggling Danilo Gallinari, who now has three 20-point games in December after only two in the first month of the season. It might be too late for guys like Jusuf Nurkic and Kenneth Faried, but they are still holds in case Denver works up a trade soon.

Houston Rockets

Houston looks like one of the better teams in the West right now and might be joining that elite tier with the Spurs, Warriors and Clippers. The Rockets own an insane team effective field goal percentage of 55.4&, behind only the Warriors. James Harden looks like he really wants that MVP trophy and guys like Ryan Anderson are starting to come out of their shell. However, their fantasy week ahead is pretty bleak outside of a game against the Suns. Their other two are against the Spurs and Grizzlies, so while the Rockets are an insane source of fantasy goodness that may be in shorter supply this week.

Miami Heat

Miami is another team that is getting healthier and their schedule this week isn’t bad either. Games against the Magic, Lakers and Pelicans line the schedule this week, which is great news for the Heat. All three have been allowing a ton of points lately and all three represent pace-up games for the Heat. With Goran Dragic looking like a steal for his average draft position, the Heat should continue to roll out fantasy goodness this week.

Portland Trail Blazers

Out of all the teams with three-game weeks, the Blazers probably have the roughest. Their schedule in Week 9 consists of games against the Kings, Mavericks and Spurs, three teams that play with paces that rank in the bottom third of the league in pace. Considering the Blazers play pretty fast, this could really dampen their value this week, so beware.

Toronto Raptors

Toronto is one of three teams that only have two games leading up to the holiday weekend and they couldn’t be more different from one another. After they get the Nets at home on Tuesday, they travel to Utah on Friday. The game against the Nets might see 130 points scored by Toronto, but Utah might hold them under 100. Guys like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry should still play well against the Jazz, but the other Raptors are questionable for that second game.

Philadelphia 76ers

Despite having only two gams this week, the Sixers should have some strong fantasy value. They need to trade Nerlens Noel and his fantasy owners will agree, but with games against the Pelicans and Suns, Philly should provide fantasy owners will some nice quality this week despite the quantity not being there. Plus, Joel Embiid has played at least 27 minutes in his last three games and he responded with 33 points and 10 rebounds in his most recent game against Brooklyn. Look for more of that this week. 

Charlotte Hornets

If you’re a Kemba Walker or Nicolas Batum owner you’re only getting two games this week, but they are both strong. Charlotte hosts the Lakers on Tuesday before traveling to Chicago on Friday. The Hornets are also starting t to play faster lately. They own the league’s 12th fastest pace at 96.8 possessions per game, which is going to be a nice boon for Hornets fantasy owners. Even guys like Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Frank Kaminsky could see a benefit from playing faster, so hold your Hornets this week despite the short week.