Dr. A's Fantasy Takeaways from NBA Christmas Day

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Christmas Day in the NBA sort of lived up to the hype, although I was hoping for a better contest between the Celtics and Bucks, as the Celtics won in a cakewalk. But the late Nuggets-Suns overtime game/dunk contest might have made up for it.

Here's a weekend recap and the fantasy impacts we'll see heading into Week 11. Incredibly, we're already very close to the mid-way point of the season. 

Philadelphia 76ers 119 -- New York Knicks 112

The Sixers easily covered the -2.5 spread and the stars all shined in this one. Joel Embiid led the way with 35 points, James Harden had 29 points and 13 dimes, and De'Anthony Melton added 15 points and five triples.

Keep an eye on Georges Niang, who had 16 points, two rebounds, a block and four triples off the bench. He's heating up, scoring in double figures in three straight and in five of his last six games. He's hit at least one three-pointer in every game since Oct. 20 (the second game of the season) and is averaging 11 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 3-pointers over his last six games.

The only downside is the Sixers play just three times in the upcoming week, while several other teams go four times. Niang should be widely available in most fantasy leagues. Shake Milton was disappointing with eight points and two three-pointers in 23 minutes off the bench and is not a must-start player this week with just three games. Check out a breakdown of the entire weekly schedule at RotoWire.

After winning eight straight games the Knicks are now on a three-game losing streak, although they were in all three of those games until the end. They also go three times this week and have a chance to get right with road games at Dallas, San Antonio and Houston.

New York got 35 points, eight rebounds, four three-pointers and a full stat line from Julius Randle, 23 points, 11 assists and two triples from Jalen Brunson, and RJ Barrett came through with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two three-pointers. Barrett was coming off a pair of big games (44 and 30 points) but hit just 6-of-21 shots on Sunday. He's not going to get you steals or blocks but he has been playing much better in December than he was earlier in the season.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Knicks and Mitchell Robinson had one of his best games in recent memory, racking up four assists, 16 rebounds, a steal and three blocks to go along with his 10 points. He had failed to top six rebounds in his previous two games.

Quentin Grimes started and played 39 minutes, finishing with 10 points, six assists, a steal, a block and two three-pointers. That makes four straight games with at least 30 minutes and he's been getting that kind of run from Tom Thibodeau for a month and a half now. The numbers aren't spectacular but Grimes is relevant now and at least worth a look in most leagues. 

Dallas Mavericks 124 -- Los Angeles Lakers 115 

The Mavericks barely covered the 8.5-point spread after blowing a huge lead but held on to get it done. There were only two true stars in this game and they both went off.

Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 32 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two three-pointers on 9-of-16 shooting, as usual. He also hit just 12-of-16 free throws, as usual.

Christian Wood, who became eligible to sign a four-year, $77 million extension on Sunday, went off for 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, two blocks and two three-pointers on 12-of-17 shooting. That might just be the best game he's ever had and it marked just the second time he's scored at least 30 points this season. He could be primed for a big second half now that he's starting for the Mavs but now is probably a bad time to try to trade for him, as his fantasy managers were surely paying attention to this one.

Tim Hardaway Jr. also got hot and finished with 26 points, six rebounds and six triples in 39 minutes. Hardaway has scored between 13 and 26 points in four of his last five games and is getting a boost with Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber out with injuries, but the Mavericks only have three games this week. Spencer Dinwiddie was disappointing with eight points and eight assists on 2-of-10 shooting and is only fully trustworthy on nights that Luka's sitting out.

Dallas has now won three straight games and five of its last seven. Despite the fact that the Mavs are currently the No. 8 seed in the West, they are just 4.0 games behind first-place Denver after Sunday.  

LeBron James led the Lakers with 38 points, six rebounds and five dimes, but didn't have a steal, block or three-pointer in his 34 minutes. None of the other Lakers starters managed to hit double digits in scoring, although Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, off the bench. Dallas outscored the Lakers 51-21 in the third quarter to overcome an 11-point deficit and never looked back.

The Lakers play three times this week, and now that Reaves is over his ankle injury, he's at least worth a look in fantasy. He's mostly only good for points and three-pointers but does come through with some blocks and steals occasionally. He had two blocks on Sunday and had at least one steal in his previous four games.

The Lakers have lost four straight and play on the road at Orlando, Miami and Atlanta this week. Good luck to them -- they'll need it. 

Boston Celtics 139 -- Milwaukee Bucks 118 

This was basically a Christmas Day massacre as the Celtics couldn't do anything wrong and Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't get anything going until it was too late. Jayson Tatum went bonkers with 41 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and three triples on 14-of-22 shooting and Jaylen Brown added 29 points and five triples for the highest-scoring duo in the league.

That's about where the Boston highlights end, although Marcus Smart was able to play through his hip injury for six points, eight assists and a steal, and Derrick White came through with 12 points, three boards, five assists, a steal and two three-pointers on 4-of-6 shooting. White has been quietly effective in two straight games and is an intriguing option with three games this week. If he were playing four, I'd be more bullish on him.

Grant Williams had a fun line of 11 points, six boards, three assists, two steals and three three-pointers, and Robert Williams continued to take baby steps with his six points, two rebounds and a block in 14 minutes. He's not worth using until his minutes creep up closer to 25 per game. 

Giannis looked sluggish early on, badly missing his first four three-pointers and struggling mightily from inside the paint for the middle two quarters. He finished with 27 points and nine boards on 9-of-22 shooting, but his line actually looks better than his game did in reality yesterday. Through the first three games of the day, he was the only superstar to underperform.

Starters Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton all played well and Connaughton could be an interesting option this week if Khris Middleton is going to miss more time with his knee injury. He's now missed five straight games and Connaughton moved into the starting five and came through with 15 points, four boards, three assists, a steal and four three-pointers in the loss. 

The Bucks only play three times this week but have good matchups against the Bulls, Timberwolves and Wizards, starting on Wednesday. Keep an eye on Joe Ingles, who is making his way back from knee surgery. He had 11 points and two three-pointers in 19 minutes but if he starts getting 25 ticks a game he might be worth a fantasy look a couple weeks from now. 

Golden State Warriors 123 -- Memphis Grizzlies 109

Jordan Poole got hot early and scored 17 points in the first quarter and had 32 by the end of the third, but he picked up his second technical foul early in the fourth quarter to earn an ejection with his team up by 20 points. Poole finished with 32 points and three three-pointers on 11-of-25 shooting but he could have had a lot more.

Klay Thompson had 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three three-pointers, Donte DiVincenzo added 19 points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal and five three-pointers, and Draymond Green had 13 rebounds, 13 assists, a steal, two blocks and a three-pointer to go along with his three points. DiVincenzo has played well with Stephen Curry (shoulder) out, scoring in double figures in four of his last five games while racking up solid rebounds, assists and 3-pointers.

Like almost every other Christmas Day team, the Warriors only play three times this week. Sunday's win was big for them and the Dubs have now won two straight games after losing five of their previous six. But they're still just 16-18 on the season and sitting at No. 11 in the West. Make sure DiVincenzo is not available in your league.

Ja Morant debuted his first signature shoe and played well, finishing with 36 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, a steal, six turnovers and two three-pointers in the loss. Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones each scored 13, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 11 and Desmond Bane hit just 2-of-13 shots and was 0-for-7 from downtown for nine points. Jackson Jr. was in serious foul trouble from the start and played just 21 minutes, adding just two rebounds, one steal and two blocks to his 11 points.

The Grizzlies play four times next week, which is good news for managers of guys like Morant and JJJ. Santi Aldama, Jones, Brandon Clarke and Dillon Brooks are all worth a streaming look if available. 

Denver Nuggets 128 -- Phoenix Suns 125

The Nuggets pulled off an impressive comeback in the game of the day, winning in overtime 128-125. Nikola Jokic went nuts with 41 points, 15 rebounds, 15 assists, a block and two three-pointers on 16-of-25 shooting. His 40-point triple-double is the first one ever recorded on Christmas Day. Jokic has now racked up three triple-doubles in his last four games, two of which were 40-pointers. 

Aaron Gordon had seven spectacular dunks and his final one over Landry Shamet might be the dunk of the year. He finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, a steal, a block and a three-pointer on 11-of-18 shooting. Jamal Murray racked up 26 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, a block and five three-pointers on 7-of-19 shooting. 

As a personal sidenote, I needed Murray to have six assists tonight to win a Christmas miracle. He recorded his fifth early in the fourth quarter on a pass to Jokic, who dribbled twice and hit a layup. It showed up in the box score but was then, inexplicably, taken away. It was never corrected and he had one more assist later to officially finish with five for the night. I'm somewhat devastated. 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit three three-pointers to finish with 15 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Michael Porter Jr. struggled by hitting just 3-of-11 shots for seven points and eight rebounds. He's still trying to work his way back to full strength. Bones Hyland was rough with three points on 1-of-6 shooting and is being dropped in a lot of leagues right now due to his inconsistency and usual struggles. The Nuggets play four games this week so make sure KCP's not floating around on your waiver wire. 

For the Suns, who controlled most of the night, Devin Booker aggravated his left groin injury just four minutes into the game and did not return. Hopefully, this doesn't result in a long-term setback but I have a feeling we're not going to see him this week. He was seen on the sidelines with a noticeable limp, which is not a good sign.

Shamet has been playing well in his absence and went off for 31 points, six assists and seven triples off the bench, while Damion Lee got hot early on Sunday and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four three-pointers. Both are worth a look on a short-term basis for this week's three games now that Booker is down again, with Shamet being nearly a must-have player.

Deandre Ayton had 22 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, Chris Paul added 17 points, four boards, 16 assists, two steals and a block, but uncharacteristically, hit just 5-of-10 free throws, and Torrey Craig and Mikal Bridges each scored 13 points in the loss. Stop reading this and go pick up Shamet!

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News and Notes

• Zion Williamson is off the injury report and good to go Monday.
• Kawhi Leonard (right knee management) is out Monday as the Clippers enter a back-to-back set.
• Jimmy Butler is iffy due to a sprained ankle. Victor Oladipo could benefit.
• Nick Richards (right ankle) is doubtful Monday.
• Jusuf Nurkic (calf) is probable Monday.
• Josh Hart (ankle) is probable Monday.
• Larry Nance (Achilles) is questionable Monday.
• Eric Gordon (thumb) is questionable Monday.
• Aaron Nesmith (ankle) is questionable Monday.
• Jalen Smith (ankle) is questionable Monday.