There was no shortage of NBA basketball on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Nine games tipped off between 1 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET, and several players kicked off the week with monstrous stat lines. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum led all scorers with a season-high 51 points. We'll go over who else is heating up ahead of Tuesday's main slate alongside a waiver wire target and a DFS play here.
Who's hot
The Los Angeles Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak on Monday, and James put together one of his best performances of the season. He scored a season-high 48 points with eight points and nine rebounds. James has been on a tear in January and is averaging 35.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in 2023 while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. He's scored more than 40 points twice in his previous six games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his third straight game with knee soreness on Monday, and Holiday continued to make the most of his absence. The Milwaukee Bucks point guard scored 35 points against the Indiana Pacers his last time out and has now notched three consecutive double-doubles. Holiday's scored at least 24 points in three of his last four games while averaging 9.3 assists per contest and shooting 54.7 percent from the field.
Kessler has been amazing with Kelly Olynyk on the shelf as of late. The Utah Jazz big man tallied his fourth double-double in five games with 20 points, 21 rebounds, and four assists on Monday. He's averaging a double-double this month and has amassed 21 blocks through eight games in 2023. The rookie has shot a ridiculous 68.5 percent from the field and is on track to climb toward the top 20 among fantasy centers.
Waiver wire target
Rudy Gobert was questionable to play on Monday because of a groin injury and left the Minnesota Timberwolves' game against the Utah Jazz after just five minutes. Reid had a subpar game with just seven points, seven rebounds, and a pair of blocks but has generally been phenomenal when Gobert hasn't suited up this season. Reid is averaging 17.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game without Gobert this season and is rostered in just 28 percent of CBS leagues.
DFS play
Harden's heel injury doesn't appear to be bothering him too much. He posted 24 points, seven rebounds, and 13 assists against the Los Angeles Lakers in his last game and will face a Los Angeles Clippers team he's dominated since joining the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. Harden notched a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 21 assists the last time he faced the Clippers in December. He's averaged 24.5 points, 14.0 assists, and 13.0 rebounds against Los Angeles since leaving the Brooklyn Nets.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
