Fantasy basketball tips and projections for Monday - ESPN

ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. Fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

New this season, ESPN Analytics will also generate daily NBA fantasy projections. By combining historical player and team data and specific game factors ESPN is able to accurately predict player box score stats. Accounting for injuries, trends in playing time, and other factors impacting future performance the statistical models can be used to help NBA fantasy players gain an edge in their league.

One of the great Christmas traditions is compelling NBA matchups. The first such slate came back in 1947, just a year after the NBA's inception, when the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers 89-75 at Madison Square Garden.

Fast forward 76 years and we have the Knicks hosting the Milwaukee Bucks at the Garden as the first tip today. This contest claims the highest point total (240.5) of the five holiday games, thanks in part to both teams ranking in the top 10 in offensive rating. The Bucks are 132.4 PPG over the last 10 games, their most in a 10-game span in franchise history, for those eyeing over wagers. The main injury influence in this one is the continued absence of Mitchell Robinson for the Knicks, vaulting a certain center to the streaming section below.

A matchup of Western contenders follows, as the Denver Nuggets host the Golden State Warriors. With Draymond Green's suspension reshaping the Warriors' rotation, the likes of Brandin Podziemski (7.9% rostered in ESPN leagues) and Jonathan