LAC 117, PHX 93: Grayson Allen's Big Night Wasted in PHX Defeat
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Jasmine "Jazz" Porter
University Student ยท Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Clippers Demolish Suns 117-93: Zubac's Rebound Masterclass Powers the Blowout
The LA Clippers just showed the Phoenix Suns what a fully functional offense looks like, and honestly, it wasn't even close. 117-93 final score doesn't tell the full story of how thoroughly the Clippers controlled this one. This is the kind of game where fantasy relevance shifts depending on your roster construction, so let's break down who cashed and who got exposed.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grayson Allen | 44.0 | 42.2 | 23/1/8 | 16.7/3.0/4.0 | +6.3 |
| Ivica Zubac | 38.0 | 41.5 | 14/20/1 | 14.5/11.0/2.2 | -0.5 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 34.0 | 40.1 | 25/8/5 | 27.6/6.2/3.6 | -2.6 |
| John Collins | 31.0 | 29.8 | 16/9/2 | 13.5/4.9/0.9 | +2.5 |
| Dillon Brooks | 25.0 | 29.5 | 22/5/1 | 21.1/3.6/1.8 | +0.9 |
| Jordan Goodwin | 31.0 | 26.7 | 12/6/1 | 8.6/4.8/2.3 | +3.4 |
| Jordan Miller | 27.0 | 26.0 | 20/5/2 | 9.1/3.2/1.5 | +10.9 |
| Mark Williams | 23.0 | 23.4 | 7/7/4 | 12.0/8.0/1.1 | -5.0 |
| Collin Gillespie | 23.0 | 22.8 | 12/4/2 | 13.5/4.1/4.6 | -1.5 |
| Kobe Sanders | 21.0 | 18.4 | 12/2/4 | 7.0/2.5/1.6 | +5.0 |
Zubac's Rebounding Explosion
Ivica Zubac went absolutely nuclear on the glass, pulling down 20 boards to go with 14 points on perfect shooting (5-5 FG). That's 41.5 Yahoo points, which is insane for a traditional big man role. The real story here is that he crushed his season rebound average by 9 boards. That's not just a solid night, that's a completely different player when the Suns couldn't get anything going defensively.
Here's the thing though: is this sustainable? The Suns got completely dismantled, so the Clippers had endless second chances and fast-break opportunities. When Phoenix isn't a complete dumpster fire on offense, this probably looks more like a 12-14 rebound night for Zubac. Still solid, but not league-winner territory. He's worth starting every night in any format, but don't expect 20 boards to become the norm. That said, if your league is thin at center, Zubac is still one of the most consistent fantasy plays available.
Grayson Allen's Breakout
Grayson Allen was the most interesting player on either team tonight. 42.2 Yahoo points on 7-21 shooting looks weird until you realize he went 4-for-6 from three and was basically the only Suns player who didn't look like they were moving through quicksand. 23 points in 36 minutes is well above his 16.7 average, and that +6.3 points versus expectation is real value.
The worried take here is that he needed a blowout loss to get his shots. The optimistic take is that he finally looked confident and assertive, which matters for a role player on a struggling team. If the Suns are going to actually fight back in their next few games, Allen is someone who could stay hot. He's getting picked up a bunch right now (up 0.2% ownership), and honestly, at 52.7% owned, if he's available in your league, grab him. He's a bench guy who just proved he can go off.
The Clippers' Depth Just Hit Different
Kawhi Leonard didn't need to go absolutely nuclear because literally everyone was contributing. 25 points on efficient shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists. That's the kind of game where the reigning MVP (still a trip to say about SGA, but Kawhi remains elite) gets his while the entire roster eats. He's basically exactly on his season numbers, which is the definition of a floor game for him.
John Collins was the real difference maker though. 16 points, 9 rebounds on 6-10 shooting? That's a +4.1 rebound night for him and +2.5 points. He came off the bench and was aggressive, which frankly isn't always Collins' thing. But against a Suns frontcourt that looked lost, he had room to operate.
Jordan Miller also went off with 26 Yahoo points on 20 points and 5 rebounds in just 23 minutes. That's a +10.9 point night versus his average, which is massive. Dude looked like he was playing pickup ball against the JV team. If he's still on waiver wires in shallow leagues, that's wild, but given his season average (9.1 PPG), you probably already knew he had upside tonight.
The Suns' Roleplayers Couldn't Save Them
Dillon Brooks tried to keep Phoenix alive with 22 points, but he was basically the only guy who looked competent. 7-20 from the field isn't exactly efficient, even though he splashed 4 threes. He met his season average on points but didn't have the supporting cast to make a dent. For fantasy purposes, 29.5 Yahoo points is solid, but he's not going to win you weeks when the entire team is this broken.
Jordan Goodwin had a random decent game with 26.7 Yahoo points (12/6/1 in 23 minutes), but that feels like a mirage given the blowout nature. Deep bench guys always put up weird numbers in games like this when the score is out of hand.
The Panic Play
Mark Williams actually went backwards. 7/7/4 looks decent on paper, but he's a 12.0 PPG guy and only put up 7. That's -5.0 points versus his average. When your team gets demolished, even role players who normally contribute lose opportunities. Don't overreact to one bad game, but if he's on your bench and you've got a streamer option this week, you might pivot.
Bottom Line
The Clippers are actually scary when healthy. The Suns look like they're missing some real firepower (roster was definitely thinner than expected). From a fantasy standpoint, Zubac and Allen are the two names to track. Zubac is a hold in every league. Allen is a sneaky add if available. The Clippers' balanced attack means no one goes completely off unless you're Kawhi, so don't expect 50-point fantasy nights from their role players, but the depth is real for season-long value.
Phoenix's next game will tell us a lot about whether this was just a bad matchup or a deeper issue.