Warriors 119, Trail Blazers 97: Caleb Love posts 36.1 fantasy points
Maya Chen
UX Designer ยท Golden State Warriors fan
Steph Curry Got Cooked, But the Warriors' Bench Just Won Them a Blowout
Okay so here's what nobody's talking about: Steph Curry shot 2-9 and dropped only 7 points, 21.1 below his season average, and the Warriors still demolished Portland 119-97. That's because the role players absolutely went nuclear. De'Anthony Melton and Gui Santos combined for nearly 60 Yahoo points while Curry was out here looking like he forgot his shooting sleeve. This is the fantasy basketball equivalent of your entire offense going down but your backup QB slinging it for 400 yards. The Warriors won ugly, but their depth is scary real.
Tonight's Top Performers
| Player | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | vs Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Love (POR) | 36.1 | 17/3/7/2/1 | 10.9/2.7/2.5 | +6.1 pts, +4.5 ast |
| Gui Santos (GSW) | 31.8 | 6/4/6/4/0 | 3.7/2.4/1.0 | +2.3 pts, +5.0 ast |
| Jimmy Butler III (GSW) | 30.7 | 16/6/5/0/0 | 20.1/5.6/4.9 | -4.1 pts |
| Stephen Curry (GSW) | 30.3 | 7/4/11/1/0 | 28.1/3.8/4.9 | -21.1 pts |
| De'Anthony Melton (GSW) | 26.9 | 23/2/1/0/0 | 10.2/2.5/1.8 | +12.8 pts |
| Brandin Podziemski (GSW) | 26.3 | 15/4/1/2/0 | 11.9/4.4/3.1 | +3.1 pts |
The Winners
De'Anthony Melton went absolutely bananas. 23 points on 9-14 shooting with 4 threes in just 18 minutes. That's +12.8 above his season average, and the volume was clean, not empty calories. He played under 20 minutes and still put up 26.9 Yahoo points. This is what a role player breaking out looks like.
Gui Santos continues to be a league-winner if you grabbed him early. He didn't put up huge counting stats, 6/4/6 with 4 steals, but that translate to 31.8 Yahoo FP on limited minutes. His assist game is elite compared to his season average. The Warriors are clearly comfortable running offense through him.
Caleb Love put up 36.1 Yahoo FP on 17/3/7/2/1, which is basically a point guard's dream line. He was +6.1 on points and +4.5 on assists. This is exactly his ceiling game though, so don't panic buy. He shot 5-16 from the field. Volume doesn't always equal efficiency.
The Letdowns
Stephen Curry shot 2-9 and scored 7 points. Yes, I'm leading with this because it matters. He's a 28.1 ppg guy and dropped almost a quarter of his average. The concerning part isn't one bad game, it's that he played only 24 minutes. Was this load management or does he have something minor? Either way, his 30.3 Yahoo FP masked what was actually a trash performance for his standards. If you own him, monitor his workload next game.
Jimmy Butler III scored 16 on 5-7 shooting but went -4.1 from his season average. He's supposed to be dropping 20+ consistently. He did grab 6 boards and 5 assists though, so it's not catastrophic. More of a "meh" night than a concern.
The Trends
The Warriors got absolutely gutted by injuries (Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, and Damian Lillard all out for Portland), so take these usage numbers with salt. That said, the bench explosion matters. Santos is touching the ball way more, Melton got aggressive opportunities, and Podziemski stayed involved. This isn't a sustainable pattern when the team's healthy, but it's a reminder that GSW's depth is ridiculous.
Brandin Podziemski went 6-10 from the field with 3 threes. Solid role guy stuff, nothing flashy but consistent 26.3 Yahoo FP. He's trustworthy in deeper leagues.
Jrue Holiday for Portland actually had a decent game despite the blowout, 12/8/3 with 8 boards in 20 minutes. Caleb Love stepping up is interesting because it shifts usage in Portland's offense going forward.
The Moves
Add De'Anthony Melton immediately. He's flying under the radar in a lot of leagues but he just showed explosive scoring upside in a real game. 18 minutes of 9-14 shooting tells you the Warriors trust him late. If he's under 50% owned, grab him now.
Drop something for Brandin Podziemski if you need floor. He's consistent, the Warriors actually use him, and he's been steady all year. He won't win you a week but he won't tank you either. Good poison pill for a bench spot.
Trade Caleb Love if you can sell high. That 36.1 game is his ceiling. He's a backup point guard who just got lucky with minutes and usage. If someone in your league got hyped, ship him out for somebody with actual role security.
Next Up
Warriors host the next opponent without Curry's full workload clarity, so watch shootaround reports hard. If he's fine, expect regression from the bench scorers. If there's an actual issue, Melton becomes a league-winner priority.
Portland's gonna need healthy bodies back. Caleb Love had a great game but the Blazers still got smoked by 22. This was about Golden State's depth, not Portland's problems.