Sorare NBA | Game Week 18 Primer

Welcome to the Sorare NBA Game Week Primer! 

Game Week 18 kicks off today, and we're here to break down all the relevant information for the upcoming slate. Lineups lock at 6:50 p.m. EST, with the upcoming competitions running Monday - Thursday. 

Some platform updates to note for this slate: 

• For those playing in the Rare or Super Rare tiers, Game Week 18 kicks off the new eligibility requirements. You'll now need to field teams with the full rarity (ex: all five players must be Rare for Rare Competitions) to be eligible for those contests.
  
  
• A new Play With Friends feature allows you to create and join custom leagues! Hop in our Lucky Trader League and compete against our staff and community!
  
  
• Two new competition formats are available this week — All-Defense (Common Tier) and All-Offense (Limited Tier). I love the game theory on where to utilize your cards, and both defensive specialists (Blocks, Steals, Rebounds) and offensive powerhouses (Points, Assists, Rebounds, 3 Points Made, Double-Double, Triple Double) have some extra utility for these! 

Let's get into all the action for this week of hoops: 

Game Week Rewind ⏮

Nikola Jokic... Confirmed good basketball player. What a performance on Sunday — any time you're in the statistical conversation with Wilt Chamberlain, you know you've absolutely crushed it: 

That historic stat line was good for 87 Sorare Points (excluding any bonuses), coming in at 32 points above his 52 L10 cap. Spicy! 

Some other notable players that provided significant value included:

• Kemba Walker (52 Sorare Points, +34)
• Trendon Watford (47 Sorare Points, +34)
• Christian Wood (62 Sorare Points, +33)
• Naz Reid (52 Sorare Points, +32)

Multi-Game Monitor 🗓

In Sorare NBA, having a player with several games during a competition can be a big advantage — with an extra chance at a ceiling performance. Here are the teams with 2+ contests in Game Week 16:

3 Games: Utah Jazz

2 Games With B2B: Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns

2 Games: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards

Injury Info 🏥

Here are some notable (not all-inclusive) injury situations to monitor and plan for ahead of this weekend's games.

Some major injury news to note from this past Game Week:

• Anthony Davis is expected to be sidelined at least a month with a foot injury.
• The Boston Celtics got closer to full strength this weekend, with Robert Williams and Al Horford returning to action.
• Bradley Beal returned from a six-game absence this weekend.
• John Collins is expected to return tonight for the Atlanta Hawks.

The info below is for Monday, Dec. 5, but also gives insight into future availability for the rest of the Game Week:

Ruled Out  ❌

Devin Booker, PHO (groin), Kelly Olynyk, UTA (ankle), Chuma Okeke, ORL (knee), Gary Harris, ORL (hamstring), Josh Green, DAL (elbow), Jalen Suggs, ORL (ankle), Jock Landale, PHO (concussion), Cam Payne, PHO (foot), Khris Middleton, MIL (knee), Michael Porter Jr., DEN (heel), Josh Richardson, SAS (personal), Darius Bazley, OKC (illness), Josh Giddey, OKC (illness), Collin Sexton, UTA (hamstring), Clint Capela, ATL (calf), Tyrese Maxey, PHI (foot)

Doubtful 🤕

Larry Nance Jr., CLE (Achilles) 

Questionable ❓

• Jusuf Nurkic, POR (calf), OG Anunoby, TOR (hip), Gary Trent Jr., TOR (quad), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (back), Rudy Gobert, MIN (ankle), Keldon Johnson, SAS (back), DeAndre Ayton, PHO (ankle), Jeremi Grant, POR (back), Davis Bertans, DAL (illness), Dwight Powell, DAL (thigh), Tim Hardaway Jr., DAL (illness), DeJounte Murray, ATL (ankle)

The designations above are as of Monday at 1:00 p.m. EST. As injury information is breaking at all hours prior to lineups locking, a great resource for up-to-date news is the Underdog NBA Twitter account.

Value Plays 🤑

Last Game Week's Value Pick Performances:

Player | L10 | GW 16 Performance 

• Darius Bazley, 13 L10, DNP (illness) 😵
• Jordan Poole, 30 L10,  53 Sorare Points (+23) 🔥
• Donte DiVencenzo, 20 L10, 45 Sorare Points (+25) 🔥
• Oneka Okongwu, 18 L10, 30 Sorare Points (+12) ✅

The Warriors backcourt came through for us in absence of Stephen Curry. Bazley missing both games due to illness in a smash spot was a shame — and opened the door for Kenrich Williams (33 Sorare Points) to have some nice value. 

*Note — these selections are based purely on L10 value in lineups — and do not consider the auction or market prices of the players listed.

Thomas Bryant, LAL | 16 L10 — After Anthony Davis injured his foot this weekend (and will be out at least a month), Thomas Bryant stepped into a huge frontcourt role for the Lakers — and can rack up points and rebounds in a hurry when given minutes. With a lack of options to replace Davis, Bryant should be set up nicely for serious production while Davis remains out, and has already gone for 30+ Sorare Points in his last two contests at an affordable 16 L10. 

Also Consider: Lonnie Walker (22 L10), Damian Jones (8 L10, underdog/cheap value dart throw)

Kenrich Williams, OKC | 15 L10 and Lu Dort, OKC | 23 — Basically insert all my rationale for Bazley last Game Week here for Kenrich Williams, who returned from injury this weekend and should receive significant minutes given the current lack of OKC frontcourt depth. Williams saw 31 minutes of action in Saturday's win over the Grizzlies, and finished with a healthy 33 Sorare Points — and could receive even more usage if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (questionable) misses any time.

Josh Giddey will also miss Monday's contest, opening up additional minutes for everyone in the rotation. With SGA questionable and Giddey out, Lu Dort should see massive usage as one of the few starters left standing — and is fresh off a 42 Sorare Point performance this weekend. Take advantage of star usage at a bargain 23 L10. 

Also Consider: Aaron Wiggins (12 L10), Aleksej Pokusevski (18 L10), Mike Muscala (11 L10), Jalen Williams (21 L10)

Bismack Biyombo, PHO | 11 L10 — Jock Landale left this weekend's contest with a concussion, and DeAndre Ayton remains questionable due to an ankle injury. Look for Biyambo to eat up the backup center minutes if Ayton returns, and could be a huge value swing should he be thrust into starting action with Ayton missing another game. With Devin Booker, Cam Payne, and Cam Johnson also on the shelf, there is plenty of usage to go around — making role players like Landry Shamet, Torrey Craig and 

Also Consider: Landry Shamet (15 L10), Chris Paul (33 L10, potential ceiling game with Booker out), Damion Lee (17 L10)