BOS 121, GSW 110: Brown's Triple-Double Masterpiece
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician ยท Boston Celtics fan
Celtics Wire the Warriors, But Payton Pritchard's the Real Story Here
Final: Boston 121, Golden State 110
Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm a Celtics guy. I grew up in Dorchester bleeding green, and I still think about the 2008 championship like it happened last week. So when we beat the Warriors at home, I'm happy. But this isn't about me being happy. This is about your fantasy team, and what actually matters from this game.
The Celtics won by 11. That sounds bigger than it actually was. Golden State hung around most of the night, but Boston's depth is just different this year. And that depth? That's your fantasy goldmine.
Here's the top 10:
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown | 62.0 | 58.5 | 23/15/13 | 29.2/7.0/4.8 | -6.2 |
| Payton Pritchard | 50.0 | 42.7 | 26/6/7 | 17.4/4.2/5.4 | +8.6 |
| Derrick White | 40.0 | 40.0 | 10/5/8 | 17.1/4.4/5.6 | -7.1 |
| Brandin Podziemski | 41.0 | 34.4 | 11/7/6 | 12.0/4.6/3.6 | -1.0 |
| Gui Santos | 38.0 | 33.2 | 17/6/2 | 6.0/3.0/1.5 | +11.0 |
| Will Richard | 38.0 | 32.0 | 17/5/2 | 6.8/2.5/1.4 | +10.2 |
| Sam Hauser | 35.0 | 27.1 | 16/3/5 | 9.2/3.8/1.5 | +6.8 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 24.0 | 24.1 | 18/3/1 | 11.9/2.8/2.3 | +6.1 |
| Pat Spencer | 27.0 | 23.9 | 5/2/7 | 6.3/2.3/3.3 | -1.3 |
| Neemias Queta | 26.0 | 23.7 | 9/6/1 | 9.7/8.2/1.5 | -0.7 |
Payton Pritchard Just Became Your New Headache
Alright, so Payton Pritchard goes 26/6/7 on 10-18 shooting. That's 42.7 Yahoo FP. That's 8.6 points above his season average. And here's the thing, he's been coming off the bench averaging 17.4 PPG already, which is more than playable. But tonight he looked like an actual facilitator, not just a scorer. Seven assists. That's +1.6 from his norm.
The problem? This is Boston. We run a lot of guys through. Pritchard had 32 minutes tonight. You think that holds when Jayson Tatum comes back? Or when Joe gets healthy? This is the classic Celtics rotation problem. You never really know who's getting run, and even when they do, it's feast or famine.
That said, if you picked him up as a fill-in somewhere, you got lucky tonight. Don't get cute thinking this is repeatable every night. But he's worth holding for the next few games to see if this is a role expansion or just a one-off.
Jaylen Brown Did Jaylen Brown Things
Jaylen Brown put up 23/15/13. That's a triple-double, basically. He was -6.2 on scoring (usually closer to 29) but crushed it on rebounds (+8.0) and assists (+8.2). This is peak Celtics Jaylen. He's all-around, not just a volume scorer.
The thing about Jaylen this season is he's been All-NBA First Team caliber, which means your league knows he's a hold. You're not getting him cheap. But nights like this, where he's a Swiss Army knife and gets you boards and dimes, that's why you draft him. 58.5 Yahoo FP in a home game against a West team that was already mentally checking out by the third quarter.
One thing though: he went 0-for-6 from three. That's not his usual thing. He was 10-18 overall, so the volume was there, but the three-ball just wasn't falling. That's actually fine for fantasy because his assists and rebounds more than made up for it. But if you're playing in a league that values three-pointers heavily, this was slightly underperforming what you'd expect.
The Bench Warriors Got Paid, Celtics Run Deep
Here's where it gets weird. Gui Santos and Will Richard both went off. That's +11.0 and +10.2 respectively from their season averages. Santos went 6-14 from three (17 points), and Richard did basically the same thing (17 points, 3-11 from three). These aren't guys anyone actually owns.
But that's the story of this game on the Golden State side: role guys had nights because the Celtics were just better, and the Warriors were playing from behind. De'Anthony Melton popped off too (18 points, +6.1), and that's a guy who's actually owned in some deeper leagues. But again, when your team is losing by double digits, offensive efficiency gets weird. The ball's moving differently. Shots are falling that usually don't.
Don't go add these Warriors bench guys. This was circumstantial. What you should actually care about is that the Warriors' starting lineup wasn't able to handle Boston's top four. That's the real story.
Derrick White's Defense Was Unhinged
Derrick White finished with 40 Yahoo FP on 10/5/8/1/4. That 4 blocks? That's worth 16 ESPN points right there. He was -7.1 on scoring (usually closer to 17), but when you're getting steals and blocks like that, it doesn't matter because the defensive cat makes up for it. 39 minutes of All-Defensive First Team work right here.
This is why White's such a pain to own sometimes, but also why you can't trade him. In a game where the Celtics are just deeper and better, he's your security blanket. He's gonna get you the peripheral stats even when the scoring is weird.
The Sam Hauser Wet Dream
Sam Hauser coming off the bench for 27 minutes, 16 points, 5 assists on 6-10 from three. That's 27.1 Yahoo FP, +6.8 from his 9.2 season average. In a Celtics team that sometimes plays four ball-handlers, Hauser's role is hit-or-miss. Tonight he was hit. Four threes on six attempts from deep.
The question is whether this is real or just a good night. His season average is only 9.2 PPG, so this was definitely above his usual. But here's the thing: Hauser's the kind of guy who can have nights like this because his role is specifically "splash guy." When the offense flows through the whole team and the game is comfortable, Hauser eats.
If you're in a 12-team league or deeper and needed a bench wing, Hauser's sitting on waivers in a lot of places. Tonight doesn't change that he's a role guy. But in deeper leagues where depth matters, he's got value. Just know what you're getting.
The Real Takeaway
This game was about the Celtics having five guys capable of scoring 20+. That's a luxury problem for Boston fans, but a nightmare for fantasy managers trying to figure out who to lean on. Jaylen and Payton ate tonight. Derrick locked down. Sam had a moment.
But here's the thing: in a blowout at home, everyone's production is inflated. Don't get cute trying to add every Celtics role guy on the waiver wire thinking this is repeatable. The value tonight was in Jaylen (hold him forever) and Derrick (already owned in most leagues). Payton is the one wild card worth monitoring the next few games.
The Warriors? Their bench guys aren't worth touching. Your core guys didn't show up (honestly, didn't even play for some of them), and that's what matters. Don't let tonight confuse you into chasing Warriors depth.
Boston's just deep. That's the whole story.