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          Fantasy basketball tips and projections for Sunday

          Deni Avdija is coming off a game with a season-high 13 boards. NBAE via Getty Images
          • Steve Alexander
          Dec 31, 2023, 03:02 PM

          ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. Fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

          New this season, ESPN Analytics will also generate daily NBA fantasy projections. By combining historical player and team data and specific game factors ESPN is able to accurately predict player box score stats. Accounting for injuries, trends in playing time, and other factors impacting future performance the statistical models can be used to help NBA fantasy players gain an edge in their league.

          What you need to know for Sunday's games

          While Saturday's newsfeed was dominated by a big NFL game and an extreme blowout at the Orange Bowl, the NBA trade that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley from the Knicks to the Raptors for OG Anunoby set the fantasy hoops world abuzz. And while the aforementioned players won't debut for their new teams until sometime in the upcoming week, both teams were in action on Saturday and we saw some eye-opening performances, led by Donte DiVincenzo, Pascal Siakam and Dennis Schroder.

          DiVincenzo was the fantasy play of the day as he went off for a career-high 38 points, six rebounds, two assists, four steals, one block and seven 3-pointers on 15-of-21 shooting against the defenseless Pacers, good for a ridiculous 62.2 DFS points in most formats -- and he might not be done yet! With both Barrett and Quickley out of the way, DiVincenzo could continue to start, although it's important to note that Quentin Grimes was out on Saturday with an illness. And while Saturday's monster line will undoubtedly end up being DD's highlight of the year, he's still worth grabbing everywhere until we see how things shake out in New York. Ryan Arcidiacono barely got off the bench and failed to score in his lone minute of action.

          We still have to find out what the Knicks depth chart will look like, but we've got Josh Hart moving to a bench role with starters listed as Jalen Brunson, DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, but that could be fluid as Tom Thibodeau tries to figure out his new rotation. Randle and Brunson each scored 28 points against the Pacers, Hart had 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal and a 3-pointer in 38 minutes for his second double-double in six games, and Hartenstein had two points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in 33 minutes. Hart could end up being the big loser with the arrival of Anunoby but is still probably worth hanging onto for now.

          Meanwhile, the short-handed Raptors gave way to the hapless Pistons as Detroit snapped their 28-game losing streak with a 129-127 home win, finally improving to 3-29 on the season. Obviously, the Raptors missed Anunoby and could have used Barrett and Quickley. Siakam scored 35 points and hit 14-of-24 shots, Schroder moved back into the starting unit and hit 11-of-18 shots and three 3-pointers for a season-high 30 points and nine assists, Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points with four steals and six triples, and Scottie Barnes came through with 22 points but hit just 8-of-20 shots.

          Schroder could be the big loser with the arrival of Quickley, while Barrett should start over Trent going forward. We've got the depth chart set up with Barnes at PG, Quickley at SG, Barrett at SF, Siakam at PF and Jakob Poeltl at C, with Trent coming off the bench. Quickley should be another big winner in this trade and he, along with DiVincenzo, should be picked up in fantasy leagues across the board. As of Sunday morning, DiVincenzo was rostered in just 4.6 percent of ESPN leagues, while Quickley was rostered in only 38.5 percent of those leagues. Go get DiVincenzo and see what happens!

          In other Saturday action, the Mavs beat the Warriors behind Luka Doncic's 39 points, eight rebounds and 10 dimes, the Jazz stunned the Heat behind Kelly Olynyk's 19 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, the Pacers were led by another fabulous Tyrese Haliburton performance (22 points, 23 assists, two turnovers), Andre Drummond had 15 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Bulls over the Sixers (Joel Embiid was out again), and Anthony Edwards scored 31 points to help the Wolves beat the Lakers. Anthony Davis had 33 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in a losing cause for L.A. Haliburton now has 43 points, 43 assists and just two turnovers in his last two games.

          Lost in all the hoopla over DiVincenzo and the Pistons win was a right foot injury for Jimmy Butler. He had missed four straight games for the Heat with a calf injury and was unable to return on Saturday due to the foot problem. Bam Adebayo went off for 28 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks and Tyler Herro added 25 points in the loss to the Jazz. Butler finished with just eight points in 23 minutes and he could be going back on the shelf for the Heat. Jaime Jaquez Jr. hit just 2-of-9 shots but played 35 minutes off the bench to finish with nine points, one rebound and one assists. Jaquez is still available in nearly 70 percent of ESPN leagues and continues to be a must-have fantasy player, especially given Butler's new injury.

          With the Lakers playing a back-to-back tonight it will be interesting to see if LeBron James and Davis are able to suit up, while D'Angelo Russell left Saturday's game due to a tailbone injury. There are plenty of other big names littering the injury report of Sunday's action with Trae Young probable for the Hawks, Tyus Jones (foot) questionable for the Wizards, Russell possibly out for the Lakers, Trey Murphy III (knee) iffy for the Pelicans, and Jrue Holiday (elbow) questionable for Boston.

          Victor Wembanyama should finish up the week in style tonight, especially with Zach Collins dealing with an ankle injury, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker should all be deciding factors in this week's fantasy head-to-head finales.

          Sunday's Stream Team

          This segment nominates three key streaming options ahead of that day's action. A streamer, by our standards, is a player available in at least half of ESPN men's basketball leagues.

          Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Wizards (25.6% rostered in ESPN leagues): Avdija torched the Nets on Friday for 21 points, a season-high 13 rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block and three 3-pointers for his best all-around game of the season. The 21 points were one shy of his season high and he now gets a home game against a Hawks team that consistently gives it up to opposing forwards. This should be a perfect time to plug-and-play Avdija who is coming in hot, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 3-pointers over his last two games.

          Malik Monk, SG/SF, Kings (36.1% rostered): Kevin Huerter has been a disaster in December and is questionable tonight due to a left hand injury. While Monk is a strong play either way, he's almost a lock for big success if Huerter is out tonight. Monk had 15 points, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal, one block and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes against the Hawks on Friday night and has averaged 14.5 points, 6.2 assists and 2.7 triples in the month of December.

          Jalen Suggs, PG/SG, Magic (21.7%): Suggs is hot, scoring in double figures in seven straight games. He's coming off a big game of 21 points, two rebounds, six assists, one block and two 3-pointers on 8-of-15 shooting against the Knicks on Friday. Against the Suns tonight, he'll be looking to make it three straight 20-point games. Cole Anthony has become a bit of an afterthought in the Magic's lineup. As Suggs has come on, Anthony hasn't scored more than 12 points in any of his last four games. If you've got Anthony and can swap him for Suggs, do it.

          Grayson Allen, SG, Suns (22.6%): The return of Bradley Beal didn't slow down Allen on Friday as he had 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, one block and two 3-pointers on 6-of-8 shooting in 33 minutes. Allen is having "a December to remember," averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.5 triples for the month. His last single-digit scoring night was back on Dec. 2.

          Goga Bitadze, C, Magic (4.8%): Wendell Carter Jr. (knee) was a late scratch on Friday and may not be ready to play on Sunday, either. Bitadze had 13 points, seven rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 30 minutes in that game and, despite playing just nine minutes against the Sixers on Wednesday, racked up four more blocks. The nice thing about Bitadze is that he's going to block shots even in limited minutes, so he might still be a safe play if WCJ is able to go. For the month, Bitadze has averaged 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 20.7 minutes per game.

          Projections and Injury Reports

          Fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics.* Projections assume all players who are listed as GTD will play. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.

          Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards
          3 p.m. Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

          BPI Projection: Hawks in the highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Hawks: Seth Lundy, (OUT - Ankle); De'Andre Hunter, (OUT - Knee); Mouhamed Gueye, (OUT - Back); Onyeka Okongwu, (GTD - Illness); Trae Young, (GTD - Knee)
          Wizards: Danilo Gallinari, (OUT - Back); Tyus Jones, (GTD - Foot)

          Hawks projections:

          • Trae Young, PG: 49.9 FPTS (29.3 pts, 3.0 reb, 9.0 ast, 3.4 3PM)

          • Dejounte Murray, PG/SG: 39.5 FPTS (20.1 pts, 4.2 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Saddiq Bey, SF/PF: 29.3 FPTS (13.1 pts, 6.4 reb, 1.0 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG/SF: 29.0 FPTS (14.3 pts, 2.9 reb, 2.5 ast, 2.9 3PM)

          • Clint Capela, C: 26.9 FPTS (12.2 pts, 9.8 reb, 0.8 ast, 1.7 blk)

          • Jalen Johnson, SF/PF: 25.8 FPTS (11.8 pts, 6.4 reb, 2.1 ast)

          • Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C: 18.4 FPTS (8.0 pts, 5.8 reb, 1.0 ast)

          Wizards projections:

          • Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF: 37.1 FPTS (22.4 pts, 5.7 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.4 3PM)

          • Daniel Gafford, PF/C: 27.5 FPTS (11.9 pts, 8.3 reb, 1.3 ast, 2.8 blk)

          • Tyus Jones, PG: 27.3 FPTS (11.3 pts, 3.0 reb, 3.6 ast)

          • Jordan Poole, PG/SG: 26.3 FPTS (15.9 pts, 2.1 reb, 3.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)

          • Deni Avdija, SF/PF: 23.0 FPTS (9.6 pts, 4.8 reb, 2.9 ast)

          • Bilal Coulibaly, SG: 17.9 FPTS (10.3 pts, 3.8 reb, 1.0 ast)

          • Corey Kispert, SG/SF: 15.7 FPTS (9.0 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.1 ast, 1.8 3PM)

          Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans
          7 p.m. Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

          BPI Projection: Pelicans in the 5th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Lakers: Gabe Vincent, (OUT - Knee); D'Angelo Russell, (GTD - Lower Body)
          Pelicans: Matt Ryan, (OUT - Elbow); Trey Murphy III, (GTD - Knee)

          Lakers projections:

          Pelicans projections:

          Brooklyn Nets at Oklahoma City Thunder
          7 p.m. Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

          BPI Projection: Thunder in the 2nd highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Nets: Lonnie Walker IV, (OUT - Hamstring); Ben Simmons, (OUT - Back); Nic Claxton, (GTD - Illness)
          Thunder: None reported

          Nets projections:

          Thunder projections:

          Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs
          7 p.m. Frost Bank Center, San Antonio

          BPI Projection: Celtics in the 3rd highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Celtics: Jrue Holiday, (GTD - Elbow)
          Spurs: Charles Bassey, (OUT - Knee); Devonte' Graham, (GTD - Illness); Zach Collins, (GTD - Ankle)

          Celtics projections:

          Spurs projections:

          Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies
          8 p.m. FedExForum, Memphis

          BPI Projection: Grizzlies in the 4th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Kings: Kevin Huerter, (GTD - Hand)
          Grizzlies: Brandon Clarke, (OUT - Achilles); Steven Adams, (OUT - Knee); Derrick Rose, (GTD - Hamstring); John Konchar, (GTD - Illness); Luke Kennard, (GTD - Knee)

          Kings projections:

          • De'Aaron Fox, PG: 52.0 FPTS (31.7 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.9 ast, 3.1 3PM)

          • Domantas Sabonis, PF/C: 45.0 FPTS (20.2 pts, 12.1 reb, 6.9 ast)

          • Keegan Murray, SF/PF: 28.8 FPTS (14.3 pts, 5.5 reb, 1.4 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Harrison Barnes, SF/PF: 23.8 FPTS (12.1 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.8 3PM)

          • Malik Monk, SG/SF: 21.2 FPTS (11.2 pts, 2.4 reb, 3.7 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Kevin Huerter, SG/SF: 20.1 FPTS (8.2 pts, 3.8 reb, 2.4 ast)

          • Trey Lyles, PF: 15.8 FPTS (6.8 pts, 4.9 reb, 1.4 ast)

          Grizzlies projections:

          Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns
          8 p.m. Footprint Center, Phoenix

          BPI Projection: Suns in the 6th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Magic: Joe Ingles, (OUT - Ankle); Gary Harris, (GTD - Calf); Jonathan Isaac, (GTD - Hamstring); Markelle Fultz, (GTD - Knee); Wendell Carter Jr., (GTD - Knee)
          Suns: Nassir Little, (OUT - Knee); Damion Lee, (GTD - Knee); Josh Okogie, (GTD - Ankle)

          Magic projections:

          Suns projections:

          • Devin Booker, PG/SG/PF: 46.6 FPTS (27.8 pts, 4.8 reb, 7.2 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Kevin Durant, SF/PF: 46.1 FPTS (29.6 pts, 5.6 reb, 6.3 ast)

          • Jusuf Nurkic, C: 25.9 FPTS (12.1 pts, 8.6 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.3 blk)

          • Grayson Allen, SG: 23.7 FPTS (11.1 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.5 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Bradley Beal, PG/SG: 21.8 FPTS (13.3 pts, 2.8 reb, 3.0 ast)

          • Eric Gordon, SG/SF: 20.2 FPTS (10.3 pts, 1.9 reb, 2.5 ast, 2.1 3PM)

          • Jordan Goodwin, PG/SG: 12.4 FPTS (3.9 pts, 3.0 reb, 2.0 ast)