Week 13 of the NBA season will kick off a bit earlier due to MLK day. Things are quickly ramping up in the East, with the once top-seeded Magic careening downward in the wake of their injuries down to the 7th seed with a 23-21 record and having lost seven out of their last 10 games. They’re now firmly entrenched in the play-in area alongside the Heat, Pistons, Hawks, and Pistons. There’s a sizable 4.5 game gap between these teams and the 10th seeded Bulls. We’re still curious whether the 15-26 76ers will be able to summon up the mid-season rally to leap back into a Play-In spot, but it seems unlikely with Joel Embiid’s continued struggles with his health.
In the West, the Nuggets have crept into the top four, having won seven out of their last 10 games. The jockeying for a Play-In spot in this conference remains as competitive as ever. I would only discount the bottom feeder teams such as the Jazz, Pelicans, and Trail Blazers. Every other team in the West has a shot to make the Playoffs.
And yes, we’re all eagerly waiting to see what develops with Jimmy Butler, who’s interestingly rejoined the Heat after suspension and is playing despite all the drama.
We’re shooting the Three Lists of Threes today for your weekly dose of fantasy tips: Buy-lows, sell-highs, and streams.
Here are some streams we can consider.
Stream ’em
Miles McBride, SG, New York Knicks
With Jalen Brunson’s status in doubt for the first couple of games this week, it makes sense to look to Deuce McBride to fill in his big shoes. The Knicks run a thin rotation, so that means there are big opportunities whenever a starter sits. Josh Hart is also questionable to go on Monday, which adds another tick into McBride’s column.
Last season, McBride averaged 17.9 PPG as a starter in 14 games in 43.3 minutes per game.
Anthony Black, PG/SG, Orlando Magic
Even though the Magic reintroduced star forward Paolo Banchero back into the mix, they’re still quite thin. Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Goga Bitadze, and Moritz Wagner are all out. They’ve cycled through quite some players on their bench this season in the midst of their injuries, and we’ll just have to ride the wave.
Anthony Black has scored in double digits in his last five games, and played fewer than 28 minutes in only one of them. He’s still coming off the bench, but I’m curious where this goes. The upside isn’t extraordinary, but he’s getting plenty of run and has done enough to pique my interest.
Andre Drummond, C, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers announced on Friday the 17th that Embiid would be reevaluated in seven to 10 days, which shouldn’t surprise many at this point. I wouldn’t fault you for running to grab either Drummond or Guerschon Yabusele, but at this point we’ve seen what both can do without Embiid. We have enough of a sample size to conclude that neither player will consistently grant us the fantasy goodies even when they get the minutes, yet here we are.
Drummond’s upside is interesting due to his prolific rebounding ability and penchant for collecting defensive stats, although maybe that’s wishful thinking, and that the Drummond of today isn’t much more than a low usage, empty boards type of guy. Either way, with Embiid sidelined, I’m happy to take a swing again.
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