Pacers 98, Celtics 96: Pascal Siakam posts 46.6 fantasy points
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician ยท Boston Celtics fan
Pacers Steal One in Ugly Celtics Snooze Fest, Pritchard Carries Boston Load
Look, I'm gonna be straight with you. That game was rough to watch, and not just because my Celtics took an L. This was a grind-it-out defensive battle where the Pacers won 98-96, and while it sucked losing to Indy, the fantasy takeaway here is actually pretty interesting. The Celtics were short-staffed and leaning hard on role guys stepping up, which happened in spots but not consistently enough. Meanwhile, the Pacers got just enough contributions across the board to steal a win on the road. For fantasy purposes, this game confirms some things we already suspected and flags a few names worth monitoring.
Tonight's Top Performers
| Player | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | vs Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pascal Siakam | 46.6 | 21/8/6/2/1 | 23.6/6.9/3.9 | -2.6 pts |
| Payton Pritchard | 45.8 | 23/4/8/2/0 | 16.6/4.5/5.4 | +6.4 pts |
| Andrew Nembhard | 36.7 | 13/6/9/2/0 | 17.4/2.6/7.2 | -4.4 pts |
| Jay Huff | 33.6 | 20/3/2/2/1 | 8.9/3.8/1.3 | +11.1 pts |
| Neemias Queta | 33.6 | 15/8/2/2/1 | 10.1/8.3/1.4 | +4.9 pts |
| Derrick White | 26.3 | 18/4/5/0/0 | 18.4/4.5/5.2 | -0.4 pts |
This was basically a bench-heavy scoring night from both sides. Siakam did Siakam things, steady as always. But the real action happened with the role players stepping into bigger roles.
The Winners
Payton Pritchard went absolutely nuclear. 23 points on 10-22 shooting with 8 assists in 37 minutes is 45.8 Yahoo FP, which is 6.4 points above his season average. Look, Pritchard's been coasting on the Celtics bench all year at 16.6 PPG, but tonight he got extended run and delivered. This is what happens when the C's are running a skeleton crew. He hit threes, ran the offense, and didn't turn it over. The question is whether this is sustainable or just a one-off because Boston was thin.
Jay Huff is the wild card here. 20 points on 8-12 shooting with 4 threes in 28 minutes is 33.6 Yahoo FP, crushing his 8.9 PPG average by 11.1 points. That's the biggest beat of the night. He was automatic from three and played efficient as hell. Huff's been a deep bench guy all season, so this could be total noise, but if the Pacers keep running him in games, there might be something there for leagues desperate for volume.
Neemias Queta quietly had a solid night with 15/8/2/2/1 for 33.6 FP, just 4.9 above his average. He's been solid all year, and this was more of the same. Steady big man minutes, grabbed boards, didn't hurt you.
The Letdowns
Aaron Nesmith was a complete ghost. 6 points on 2-9 shooting with 32 minutes played is only 14 Yahoo FP when he's averaging 13.7 PPG. That's -7.7 below his norm. Nesmith's role on the Celtics has been weird this year anyway, but getting that many minutes and delivering almost nothing is rough. Don't panic sell him, but yeah, he cooked tonight.
Andrew Nembhard didn't have a terrible game (13/6/9 with decent efficiency), but 36.7 Yahoo FP was 4.4 points below his season average. He's been a solid fantasy asset at 17.4 PPG, but this was one of those nights where the offense flowed through other guys more.
The Trends
Here's what jumped out to me: The Celtics went super thin without Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the lineup, which means Pritchard and guys like Derrick White had to carry more load. White put up 18 points in 36 minutes but was only 0.4 above his average because his shooting wasn't crisp. Queta got 31 minutes and looked like he might be getting a path to more run going forward.
On the Pacers side, Jay Huff played 28 minutes, which is way more than his usual workload. That's the kind of thing that gets league chat buzzing, but I wouldn't go all-in assuming he's a league-winner. Sometimes guys have hot nights and go back to the bench. Still worth keeping your eye on though.
The Moves
Add Jay Huff if you're desperate for bench scoring. 28 minutes and 20 points is a strong audition. He won't be consistent, but if he cracks 20+ minutes again, he could be a streamer play in deeper leagues.
Drop Aaron Nesmith if you have someone on the wire you believe in more. Yeah, he's got NBA talent and can pop off, but the Celtics' rotation is crowded and he's not getting the usage you need for fantasy. His floor is way too low right now.
Don't panic on Nembhard. One off-night doesn't tank a 17.4 PPG guy. The Pacers' backcourt playmaking went somewhere else tonight, but he'll get his looks back. Hold.
Next Up
Watch the Celtics' availability report hard. If Brown and Tatum are both out again, Pritchard stays a viable play. If they come back, he's bench fodder again. The Pacers will settle back into their normal rotation patterns once everyone's healthy, so treating Huff like a league-winner is a mistake. This was a grind-it-out, low-scoring game that wasn't pretty but taught us some stuff about who's actually getting run when things get desperate. Keep grinding.