Week 5 of the 2024-25 season is the last full week before Thanksgiving, a day the NBA usually cedes to the NFL. While Week 6 will have some heavily congested game days due to the holiday, that isn’t the case in Week 5, with no more than eight games (Monday and Wednesday) being played any day. Most teams will play three games, while four will only play twice. Let’s look at the Week 5 schedule breakdown and some critical storylines.
Week 5 Games Played
4 Games: CHI, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, MIL, ORL, PHI
3 Games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, LAL, MEM, NOR, NYK, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
2 Games: MIA, MIN, OKC, PHO
Week 5 Storylines
– Most of the league’s teams will play three games in Week 5
Rarely is a three-game week disqualifying concerning fantasy value, and that’s especially the case in Week 5. Eighteen teams are playing three games next week, including the Celtics, Nuggets, Lakers, and Knicks. There are some questions about availability for these teams to answer. Nikola Jokic (personal) has missed two games and, at the time of publishing, was considered questionable for Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies. Denver plays another game in Memphis on Tuesday and will end its week with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back against the Mavericks (home) and Lakers (away). His absence from the Nuggets lineup has placed Dario Saric on the radar in deep leagues, while Michael Porter Jr. has been a more critical figure offensively.
The Celtics (Jrue Holiday) and Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns) have been without key players recently, although the latter could be back for Sunday’s game against the Nets. That’s the first game of a back-to-back for New York, which heads west after Monday’s game against the Wizards. Shifting over to Boston, the champs have gone with a bigger lineup in Holiday’s absence, with Neemias Queta starting alongside Al Horford on Sunday. After Tuesday’s home game against the Cavaliers, Boston is off until Friday’s road game against the Wizards.
– Oklahoma City and Phoenix will be finished by Wednesday night
Not only are the Thunder and Suns among the four teams that only play twice in Week 5, but their fringe contributors will be off the fantasy radar by the end of play on Wednesday. Both will be finished with their Week 5 slates on Wednesday. In the case of the Suns, their first game of Week 6 won’t be until November 26. The time off could be valuable for Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic, who are all either sidelined or consistently show up on the team’s injury report.
Oklahoma City has a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back against rebuilding teams, visiting the Spurs on Tuesday and hosting Portland the following night. The matchup with San Antonio should be intriguing, as Oklahoma City will have to deal with Victor Wembanyama without Chet Holmgren’s (hip) services. Using Jalen Williams as an undersized center has worked well thus far. Still, Wemby is a more challenging matchup than Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic, which the Thunder handled relatively easily on Friday. Will any of the Isaiah Joe/Cason Wallace/Aaron Wiggins trio emerge as a reliable fantasy option? And can rookie Ajay Mitchell work his way into the conversation with Alex Caruso (hip) sidelined?
– Minnesota has the best schedule of the teams playing two games in Week 5
The Timberwolves won’t help fantasy managers much at the start of Week 5, as their first game isn’t until Thursday night. However, Minnesota’s two games are “lighter” schedule nights. There are only four games on Thursday and six on Sunday. Depending on player availability, there may be some streaming options for fantasy managers to benefit from in leagues that allow lineups to be set daily. For those in leagues that require lineups to be set before the start of play on Monday, the two-game teams can be avoided for Week 5.
– Orlando is the only four-game team playing on the quietest day of Week 5
Of the eight teams playing four games during Week 5, Orlando is the only one active on Thursday, the quietest day of the week. There are only four games on the schedule, with the Magic visiting the Lakers in their second game in as many nights (Orlando faces the Clippers on Wednesday). Two players impacted by this are Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) and Jonathan Isaac, with the former still sidelined due to plantar fasciitis. Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner will still have value, especially if Carter begins Week 5 (at Phoenix on Monday) on the shelf. Tuesday and Sunday have six-game slates, and none of the teams that play four times are active on Tuesday. As for Sunday, Indiana, the Clippers, and Philadelphia will be in action, while the other five complete their Week 5 schedules on Saturday.
– Will some key contributors return during Week 5?
The injuries are adding up, forcing fantasy managers to adjust on the fly and roster players who were mere afterthoughts when the season began. New Orleans plays three games in Week 5, including a Tuesday/Wednesday road back-to-back against Dallas and Cleveland. Will McCollum (thigh) be healthy enough to return sometime in the week? If so, Week 5 could be a two-game week for him, and the same can be said for Trey Murphy (hamstring). While Brandon Ingram will continue to do much of the heavy lifting, Yves Missi, Brandon Boston Jr., and Javonte Green will also be worthy of fantasy consideration, albeit to varying degrees.
Atlanta sent Bogdanovic to the G League this week to get some practice time in, so a return to game action may not be far off. Meanwhile, Maxey has resumed on-court work in Philadelphia. Once the 76ers get their star guard back, will Jared McCain be a “drop?” Or has he been too good to lose significant minutes once that rotation is whole? The 76ers play four games in Week 5 and won’t have to deal with a back-to-back, which also bodes well for managers who have Joel Embiid or Paul George rostered. Milwaukee (Lillard) and Sacramento (DeRozan) are also without significant contributors, with the latter’s absence increasing Kevin Huerter’s short-term fantasy value.
Light Game Days
Thursday: 4 Games
DET vs. CHA
MIN vs. TOR
UTA vs. SAS
ORL vs. LAL
Week 5 Back-to-backs
Sunday-Monday (Week 5): ATL, CHI, DET, HOU, IND, LAC, MIA, NYK, PHO, WAS
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: CLE, MEM, NOR, OKC
Wednesday-Thursday: ORL
Thursday-Friday: None
Friday-Saturday: CHI, DEN, GSW, HOU, MIL, POR
Saturday-Sunday: None
Sunday-Monday (Week 6): BKN, BOS, DAL, IND, LAC, SAC, TOR
