The regular season is entering its final week, which for most fantasy managers is a time for celebration or reflection on what went wrong. But there are some of you whose leagues run in concert with the NBA schedule, so there are more games to play. Zak Hanshew provided a thorough breakdown of players who make for intriguing fantasy options for Week 24, and that can be found here. Let’s get into some of the top storylines of the final week of the regular season, with a lot still to be determined regarding playoff berths, seeding, and the play-in tournament.
Week 24 Schedule: Games Played
4 Games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHI, DEN, DET, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOP, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
3 Games: CHA, CLE, DAL, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, MIN, NYK, OKC
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Top Storylines of Week 24
— Five teams have been eliminated from playoff contention
To the surprise of no one, given how the team has been handling its roster lately, Portland joined Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, and San Antonio as teams that have officially been eliminated from postseason contention. And the Trail Blazers are one of three that will play four games during Week 24, with Detroit and San Antonio being the others. Portland and San Antonio are especially attractive from a fantasy standpoint, as they’ll both be active on the two days with relatively light schedules (Thursday and Saturday). The key for fantasy managers: figuring out who’s a safe bet to be available for those games, which is no easy task with how the injury reports have been handled.
As for Charlotte and Houston, the fantasy prospects aren’t anywhere near as attractive. Not only do both play three games in Week 24, but they’re only active on the busiest days (Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday). While Houston’s rotation hasn’t changed much, with their starting five and reserve Tari Eason playing consistent minutes, Charlotte has rotated its three centers (Mark Williams, Nick Richards, and Kai Jones) recently. Richards picked up a DNP-CD on March 26, and it was Williams’ turn to do so two nights later. What may help ensure that all three get the minutes needed for fantasy relevance is the recent foot injury suffered by P.J. Washington, as there’s little need for the Hornets to rush an established starter back into action.
— Seven teams have clinched playoff berths, but seeding is undetermined
Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Memphis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Sacramento officially clinched playoff berths by the end of Week 23, and New York will join that list with a win over the Wizards on Sunday. While no seeds have been officially locked up, there’s separation at the top of both conferences. Cleveland is the only team of the seven that will play three games in Week 24, and they’re looking to get Jarrett Allen (groin) back at some point in the near future. His absence has pushed Lamar Stevens into the starting lineup, but this hasn’t impacted Stevens’ fantasy value very much. Of Cleveland’s three games is a matchup with Orlando on Thursday, and that’s a five-game day, which could help a player like Stevens or Caris LeVert as far as fantasy is concerned.
Denver is the one team that will be active on Thursday and Saturday, with three games being played on the latter. And since all 30 teams will be in action Sunday, that game against the Jazz could get interesting as far as the Nuggets’ rotation is concerned. The Nuggets lead Memphis by two games with five to play in the race for home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs, and the team has been banged up recently. If Michael Malone’s team can sew up home court before those final two games, Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. could all be in line for an injury management day (or two).
— How many games will managers get out of Kawhi Leonard?
The Clippers’ star wing played both ends of the team’s most recent back-to-back, but there was still some injury management going on. Leonard only played in the first half of Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies, and he would go on to play 41 minutes in a loss to the Pelicans the following night. The Clippers play three games in Week 24, including a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back to end the regular season. Whether or not he’s available for both of those games (POR, at PHO) will likely depend on where the team is in the Western Conference standings. The loss to New Orleans dropped the Clippers into 6th in the West, but they’re tied with the Pelicans (7th) and Lakers (8th) in the loss column. The two L.A. teams will meet on Wednesday, with the Clippers having already clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker.
— Boston’s trip to Philadelphia will set the tone for both teams in Week 24
The Celtics and 76ers open Week 24 up against each other, with Boston visiting the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday. As of Sunday morning, Joe Mazzulla’s team led Philadelphia by two games in the loss column and already held the head-to-head tiebreaker. Also of note here is the fact that this will be the first game of a back-to-back for the Celtics, who host Toronto on Wednesday (and Friday). With Al Horford and Robert Williams recently sitting out the second game of a back-to-back and Jayson Tatum sitting out the March 26 win over the Spurs, a four-game week could turn into three for some of Boston’s key contributors.
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— Have we seen the last of Wizards’ Beal, Kuzma?
Counting Sunday’s matchup with the Knicks, Bradley Beal has missed Washington’s last six games while Kyle Kuzma has been sidelined for seven. The Wizards haven’t officially been eliminated from postseason contention, but they trail 10th-place Chicago by three games in the loss column, so it won’t be much longer before that happens. At that point, what would the motivation be for the team to get Beal and/or Kuzma back on the court? And that can be expanded to include Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last two games due to illness.
Corey Kispert, Deni Avdija, Delon Wright, and Daniel Gafford have been asked to shoulder more of the workload due to those absences, and rookie Johnny Davis has logged rotation minutes as well. Washington plays four games in Week 24, beginning with a back-to-back against the Bucks (home; Tuesday) and Hawks (road; Wednesday). The Wizards have been stuck in the NBA’s “midsection” for years, and a high lottery pick could provide the franchise a much-needed kick start. Losing games improves those odds, which may mean that fantasy managers won’t get much activity (if any) out of Beal, Kuzma, and Porzingis next week.
— How many games with Lauri Markkanen play in Week 24?
Utah will play four games in Week 24, including a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back, and Markkanen has recently been dealing with a left hand contusion. While he is right-handed, the injury has sidelined the All-Star forward for five of Utah’s last seven games. The remaining schedule for the Jazz includes a back-to-back against the Nuggets and Lakers to end the regular season, and the Lakers could still be playing for the right to avoid the play-in tournament. That isn’t Utah’s problem, and regardless of what happens with the draft lottery, Danny Ainge and company have the assets needed to make the rebuild a quick one.
The opportunity to improve the team’s lottery odds may lead to more time on the bench for Markkanen, opening the door for Simone Fontecchio and Luka Šamanić to play more minutes. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton have been out for an extended period of time, resulting in Talen Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji, and Kris Dunn figuring more prominently in the rotation. While Utah is only one game behind 10th-place Oklahoma City in the loss column, getting into the play-in tournament may not be a priority. And the replacements haven’t played poorly, either, so this hasn’t turned into an all-out tanking operation.
Light Game Days
Monday: 0 Games
Thursday: 5 Games
CLE vs. ORL
MIA vs. PHI
POR vs. SAS
OKC vs. UTA
DEN vs. PHO
Saturday: 3 Games
DEN vs. UTA
MIN vs. SAS
POR vs. LAC
Week 24 Back-to-backs
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHI, DET, LAL, MEM, MIL, NOP, SAC, TOR, WAS
Wednesday-Thursday: None
Thursday-Friday: MIA, ORL, PHI, PHO
Friday-Saturday: None
Saturday-Sunday: DEN, LAC, MIN, POR, SAS, UTA
