ESPN's fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night's games. Here you'll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.
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Top streamers | Best bets | DFS picks | Odds & Injury report
What you need to know for Monday
NBA action begins early in the day on this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, with the earliest game starting at 1 p.m. ET. There will be nine games on the day, with five scheduled before the normal early evening window, three in the evening, and one in the late window.
Among the early afternoon games we get a matchup of the two teams that had the best records in the NBA last season when the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the Thunder have the much better record on the season, both teams are 7-3 in their last 10 games so they enter the game playing at similar levels.
In the evening window, we get the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference facing off when the Boston Celtics head to the Motor City to play the Detroit Pistons. This will be the fourth matchup between these teams this season, with the Pistons leading the series two to one.
The final game of the night has the Miami Heat visiting the Golden State Warriors in their second and final matchup of the season. The Heat won the first one by 14 points, but both teams were missing several impact players. This time around, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III are expected to be on the court as Butler tries again to defeat his former team.
These and many other storylines will be on display in a Monday full of NBA action. As always, we'll dig a bit deeper to find some fantasy streamers, betting angles and daily fantasy plays of interest.
Monday's fantasy stream team
Jusuf Nurkic, C, Utah Jazz (Rostered in 34.1% of ESPN leagues): Nurkic has missed five of the last six games, but when he plays he plays he puts up monster numbers. In his past seven games, he has averaged 17.4 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 5.3 APG. Nurkic isn't on the injury report ahead of Monday's game.
Naji Marshall, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks (33.8%): Marshall has been starting with Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg all injured. Flagg is questionable to return on Monday, but the others are still out. In 20 starts this season, Marshall has averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 3.4 APG.
Brandin Podziemski, SG/PG, Golden State Warriors (26.3%): Podziemski has notched three straight double-digit scoring efforts off the bench, averaging 16.7 PPG, 2.7 3PG and 2.0 SPG in that span.
Brice Sensabaugh, SF, Utah Jazz (19.8%): Sensabaugh has been one of the leading scorers in the NBA over the last week, with 31.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 3.0 3PG in his past three games. He has scored 25 or more points in four of his past five games.
Brice Sensabaugh drills 3-point shot vs. Chicago Bulls
Dre's bets for Monday
Cavaliers +6.5 over Thunder (-115)
The Cavaliers have won seven of their last 10 games, including matching 12-point wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder have also won seven of 10, and of course have had the best record in the NBA all season. But the game is in Cleveland, and giving 6.5 points on the road is a lot against a team playing as well as the Cavs. According to the ESPN BPI game predictor, the Thunder should be favored, but by only 3.8 points... not enough to cover the spread.
Jaylen Brown over 30.5 points (-109)
Brown has faced the Pistons three times this season, and he has exploded offensively in all three games. He dropped 41 points in their first meeting of the season in Detroit, then followed that up with 33 and 34 in their two meetings in Boston. This is clearly a matchup that works for Brown, and the Celtics will need him to put another big number on the board to keep this game competitive.
Jimmy Butler III over 21.5 points (-107)
Butler has picked up his scoring pace of late, perhaps in part because Stephen Curry has been less than 100%. Butler has scored 30 or more points in two of his last three games, and will have the added motivation on Monday of facing his former team. The Heat also play the fastest pace in the league, and the extra possessions give more opportunities for the leading scorers to put points on the board.
Jimmy Butler III with the and-1 bucket
Top Daily Fantasy values of the day
$8,100+ salaries
Jaylen Brown, SF, Boston Celtics ($10,100)
Brown has scored at least 33 points in all three games against the Pistons this season and is playing well right now, fresh off a 41-point/6-rebound effort in his last outing.
Jimmy Butler III, SF, Golden State Warriors ($8,100)
Butler has dropped more than 51 fantasy points in two of his last three games, and he gets the added motivation of facing his former Heat squad on Monday.
$6,100-$8,000 salaries
Jusuf Nurkic, C, Utah Jazz ($6,900)
Nurkic has dropped at least 47 fantasy points in the last four games he has played, and more than 43 fantasy points in six of his past seven.
Naji Marshall, SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks ($6,800)
Marshall has been putting up big numbers as a starter all season; he has scored between 30 and 48 fantasy points in five straight games.
$3,500-$6,000 salaries
Jaylon Tyson, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers ($5,800)
Tyson is getting more opportunity now with Darius Garland sidelined. In his last game, the first Garland has missed in this stretch, Tyson dropped 39 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Brice Sensabaugh, SG/SF, Utah Jazz ($5,900)
Sensabaugh has been on a scoring binge that has translated to fantasy; he has produced 36 or more fantasy points in three straight games, including a high-water mark of 57.8 fantasy points last week against the Bulls.
Jusuf Nurkic gets the and-1 to fall
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks
1 p.m. ET
Line: Bucks +2.5 (-110) | Hawks -2.5 (-110)
Money line: Bucks +114 | Hawks -135
Total: 231.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Hawks by 1.8, straight up 56%, 237.9 total points.
Injury Report:
Bucks: Taurean Prince, (OUT - Neck)
Hawks: N'Faly Dante, (OFS - Knee); Dyson Daniels, (GTD - Ankle); Kristaps Porzingis, (OUT - Achilles); Zaccharie Risacher, (OUT - Knee)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers
2:30 p.m. ET
Line: Thunder -6.5 (-108) | Cavaliers +6.5 (-112)
Money line: Thunder -225 | Cavaliers +185
Total: 231.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 3.8, straight up 61%, 237.4 total points.
Injury Report:
Thunder: Isaiah Hartenstein, (OUT - Calf); Jalen Williams, (OUT - Hamstring); Nikola Topic, (OUT - Groin); Thomas Sorber, (OFS - Knee)
Cavaliers: Dean Wade, (GTD - Knee); Chris Livingston, (OUT - Knee); Sam Merrill, (OUT - Hand); Darius Garland, (OUT - Toe); Max Strus, (OUT - Foot)
LA Clippers at Washington Wizards
3 p.m. ET
Line: Clippers -7.5 (-102) | Wizards +7.5 (-118)
Money line: Clippers -278 | Wizards +225
Total: 224.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Clippers by 10.3, straight up 76%, 228.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Clippers: Bogdan Bogdanovic, (OUT - Hamstring); Kawhi Leonard, (OUT - Knee); Derrick Jones Jr., (OUT - Knee); Bradley Beal, (OFS - Hip)
Wizards: Bilal Coulibaly, (OUT - Back); Tristan Vukcevic, (OUT - Hamstring); Trae Young, (OUT - Knee); Cam Whitmore, (OFS - Shoulder)
Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks
5 p.m. ET
Line: Mavericks +10.5 (-110) | Knicks -10.5 (-110)
Money line: Mavericks +340 | Knicks -440
Total: 229.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 10.5, straight up 77%, 233.0 total points.
Injury Report:
Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, (GTD - Ankle); , (OUT - Illness); Daniel Gafford, (OUT - Ankle); P.J. Washington, (OUT - Personal); Kyrie Irving, (OUT - Knee); Anthony Davis, (OUT - Finger); Dante Exum, (OFS - Knee); Dereck Lively II, (OFS - Foot)
Knicks: Jalen Brunson, (GTD - Ankle); Josh Hart, (GTD - Ankle)
Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs
5 p.m. ET
Line: Jazz +16.5 (-108) | Spurs -16.5 (-112)
Money line: Jazz +700 | Spurs -1100
Total: 240.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 16.8, straight up 91%, 245.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Jazz: Isaiah Collier, (GTD - Quadriceps); Elijah Harkless, (OUT - Hamstring); Georges Niang, (OUT - Foot); Lauri Markkanen, (OUT - Illness); Walker Kessler, (OFS - Shoulder)
Spurs: Devin Vassell, (OUT - Thigh)
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers
7 p.m. ET
Line: Pacers +8.5 (-120) | 76ers -8.5 (EVEN)
Money line: Pacers +270 | 76ers -340
Total: 227.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: 76ers by 9.9, straight up 75%, 234.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, (OUT - Thumb); Obi Toppin, (OUT - Foot); Tyrese Haliburton, (OFS - Achilles)
76ers: Joel Embiid, (GTD - Knee); Paul George, (GTD - Knee)
Phoenix Suns at Brooklyn Nets
7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Suns -8.5 (-102) | Nets +8.5 (-118)
Money line: Suns -325 | Nets +260
Total: 216.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Suns by 6.1, straight up 67%, 218.5 total points.
Injury Report:
Suns: Devin Booker, (GTD - Ankle); Jalen Green, (GTD - Hamstring); Jamaree Bouyea, (GTD - Concussion)
Nets: Drake Powell, (GTD - Knee); Haywood Highsmith, (GTD - Knee); Ziaire Williams, (GTD - Illness)
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons
8 p.m. ET
Line: Celtics +3.5 (-115) | Pistons -3.5 (-105)
Money line: Celtics +130 | Pistons -155
Total: 224.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 2.7, straight up 58%, 225.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Celtics: Chris Boucher, (GTD - Back); Payton Pritchard, (GTD - Ankle); Josh Minott, (OUT - Ankle); Jayson Tatum, (OUT - Achilles)
Pistons: None reported
Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors
10 p.m. ET
Line: Heat +5.5 (-108) | Warriors -5.5 (-112)
Money line: Heat +180 | Warriors -218
Total: 238.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Warriors by 4.9, straight up 64%, 236.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Heat: Davion Mitchell, (GTD - Shoulder); Jaime Jaquez Jr., (GTD - Knee); Tyler Herro, (OUT - Ribs); Terry Rozier, (OUT - Not Injury Related)
Warriors: Draymond Green, (GTD - Ankle); De'Anthony Melton, (OUT - Knee); Gui Santos, (OUT - Ankle); Seth Curry, (OUT - Back)
