Fantasy Basketball Podcast: Christmas fallout and the return of Victor Oladipo

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Andy Behrens and Dalton Del Don are back to discuss all things NBA in a very special holiday edition of the fantasy basketball podcast.

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is potentially returning late-January or early-February, per Woj. Even without the All-Star in the lineup, the Pacers are holding on to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to the team's depth. Who will be impacted when he returns? (03:51)

And in this week’s Starting Five, Andy and Dalton run down the five biggest storylines of the fantasy week centered around the big Christmas slate of games:

1) Lakers vs. Clippers: LeBron James and Anthony Davis both entered the game dealing with injuries and combined for 47 points. James went 23-9-10, but might have re-aggravated his injury. Other than Kyle Kuzma, the Lakers supporting cast were a bit of a no-show in the marquee matchup. On the Clippers side, Kawhi Leonard had 35 points on only 19 shots, and Patrick Beverley was dominant in crunch time without needing to score, tallying 9 rebounds, a block, a steal, and an impressive +26 in plus-minus. (08:14)

2) Bucks vs. Sixers: The Sixers' Joel Embiid (31-11) and Ben Simmons (15-7-14-3-2) both put up big games. Giannis was a relative dud compared to what we expect from the reigning MVP. His 18-14 stat line looks solid, but it came with 0/7 from 3 and a total of 19 missed shots which did not help the Bucks cause in the loss. (13:53)

3) Celtics vs. Raptors: The Raptors are dealing with injuries up front with Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol out. Chris Boucher picked up extra run and went 7-10, 3/4 from 3 with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. His playing time has been unpredictable, but the injuries might make the Raptor a worthy pick-up for your fantasy team. (17:17)

4) Rockets vs. Warriors: James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for a ho-hum 54 points. The Warriors new big four of D'Angelo Russell, Glenn Robinson III, Draymond Green and Damion Lee all put up 18+ points. Damion Lee had an especially big game with 22-15-4 and 3 steals. (20:04)

5) Pelicans vs. Nuggets: No news is bad news when it comes to Zion Williamson. Last week, VP David Griffin said the rookie is making progress but was still “a little ways away,” and now, the team is adjusting the way he runs. Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram continues to put up big stat lines in his contract year, putting up 31 points with 7 3's. And once rock steady contributor Paul Millsap was shut out. (24:15)

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Next up, Dalton discusses some potential waiver wire adds to consider grabbing this week like Aaron Holiday. (29:56)

And we wrap up the show with In Case You Missed It. ICYMI this week: The Athletic's story on Kawhi Leonard's rumored free agency requests. (32:58)

LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard battle on Christmas Day

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