NBA

NBA Head-to-Head Fantasy Game, Week 8: Breaking down each matchup

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Head-to-Head-FTR

Welcome back to Head-to-Head!

In its second year, Head-to-Head returns as a fantasy game that is centred around how many points players score.

Every week, starting Dec. 7 through the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season, five new matchups will be presented. In each matchup, all you have to do is pick which player you think will score more points in their game. For each correct pick, you earn points. The more points you earn, the more prizes you can receive.

However, there is one new twist this season: Head-to-Head will now keep track of streaks. 

Fans with the longest streak (the most consecutive wins) over a specified six-week period can win $5,000. There will be three different six-week streak periods, meaning there is $15,000 total up for grabs over the course of the season!

Winners can also earn a video chat with an NBA All-Star, courtside tickets and more. There are weekly and season-long prizes, with over 190 prizes expected to be handed out this season.

You can find each matchup for Week 8 below.

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Here's what you need to know about each matchup...

Khris Middleton vs. Darius Garland

Matchup: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 26 – 7:00 p.m. ET

Channel: NBA League Pass, TSN.ca/TSN app

Middleton's 20.1 points per game edge Garland's 19.7, but both players have been on a tear as of late. Middleton is averaging 27.8 points over his last four games, including two outings with a season-high 34 points Garland has the Cavaliers surging, averaging 22.8 points over his last six games. In the only matchup between these two teams in which both players played, Middleton outscored Garland 21-10.

Julius Randle vs. Bam Adebayo

Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 26 – 7:30 p.m. ET

Channel: SN Now

Randle (18.9 PPG) may have an advantage over Adebayo (18.5 PPG) in scoring average, but he has been cold as of late. Over his last three games, Randle is only averaging 15.3 points per game while Adebayo is 17.3 points since returning from injury four games ago. This is the first meeting between the Knicks and the Heat, but you can expect Adebayo to draw Randle as a defensive assignment, giving the Heat's center the edge.

Gary Trent Jr. vs. Nikola Vucevic

Matchup: Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls

Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 26 – 8:00 p.m. ET

Channel: SN One

Vucevic's 16.5 points per game just edge out Trent's 16.2. Scoring in completely different ways, Vucevic does the majority of his damage from inside while Trent does his from the 3-point line. Trent has scored 13 points in each of his two games since returning from an ankle injury, while Vucevic has averaged 20.5 points over his last five games. In their only meeting this season, Trent's 18 points outscored Vucevic's 17.

LeBron James vs. Joel Embiid

Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 27 – 7:30 p.m. ET

Channel: TSN 4

This is the heavyweight matchup of the five-matchup slate. James and Embiid are two of the hottest players in the NBA right now, both putting up monster numbers on a nightly basis. On the season, James' 29.0 points per game edge Embiid's 28.7, but there is no wrong choice in this matchup. LeBron is averaging 30.0 points over his last 10 games but Embiid has been even better, posting 34.1 points over his last 10. You may as well toss a coin for this one.

Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Devin Booker

Matchup: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Phoenix Suns

Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 28 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Channel: NBA TV Canada

Booker (24.5 PPG) has the slightest edge on Towns (24.3 PPG) and his recent stretch of play has a lot to do with that. Booker is playing his best basketball as of late, averaging 30.0 points over his last five games. Towns hasn't quite been on that same level but is still averaging a modest 22.2 points over his last five. However, in their only meeting this season, Towns went off for 35 points to edge Booker's team-high 29. Booker is the safer play, but Towns can still fill it up.

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Author(s)
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Kyle Irving is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.