CHA 129, WAS 112: Ball, Knueppel Both Feast for CHA
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician ยท Boston Celtics fan
LaMelo Ball Had the Game of His Life, But the Rest of the Hornets Showed Up Too
LaMelo Ball didn't just have a good night. He had the kind of night that makes you check if the stat line is real. 37 points on 12-20 shooting with 10 threes in 27 minutes. Sixty Yahoo fantasy points. That's not a performance, that's a takeover. He was +17.6 from his season average in scoring alone, and you could feel the Hornets' whole vibe change when he got hot early.
Here's the thing though, and this is important for your waiver wire decisions: this was an outlier. Not because LaMelo isn't capable, but because 10 threes is just not sustainable night to night. His season average is 7.3 assists per game and he hit that, so the playmaking was there. But that shot volume and efficiency? That's MVP-level stuff that doesn't happen every game. If you own him, great, enjoy the W and set realistic expectations for the next one. Don't get cocky about trading him away thinking this is his new floor.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaMelo Ball | 77.0 | 60.1 | 37/8/7 | 19.4/4.9/7.3 | +17.6 |
| Kon Knueppel | 46.0 | 42.4 | 28/7/4 | 19.2/5.5/3.5 | +8.8 |
| Brandon Miller | 38.0 | 32.3 | 22/4/3 | 20.5/4.6/3.4 | +1.5 |
| Bilal Coulibaly | 39.0 | 31.4 | 17/2/2 | 10.1/4.3/2.6 | +6.9 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 32.0 | 28.8 | 6/9/2 | 8.3/6.2/0.8 | -2.3 |
| Will Riley | 27.0 | 27.2 | 11/6/4 | 7.1/2.3/1.5 | +3.9 |
| Jaden Hardy | 30.0 | 25.3 | 16/4/1 | 7.4/1.5/0.8 | +8.6 |
| Josh Green | 30.0 | 24.3 | 12/4/1 | 4.9/2.0/1.0 | +7.1 |
| Kyshawn George | 26.0 | 22.9 | 13/2/1 | 14.9/5.3/4.6 | -1.9 |
| Jamir Watkins | 25.0 | 22.3 | 13/4/1 | 5.4/3.6/0.9 | +7.6 |
The Supporting Cast Actually Showed Up
Kon Knueppel going for 28 on 10-18 shooting with 5 threes? That's the story nobody's talking about because LaMelo was too busy dropping 37. Knueppel was +8.8 from his season average and gave you legitimate secondary scoring. If this becomes his role going forward, he's worth monitoring in 12-team leagues. Right now he's at 19.2 PPG, and when your primary ball handler drops 37, the spacing just opens up for everyone else.
Brandon Miller had a quieter night relative to the others, but he was stable. 22 points on solid efficiency with 5 threes. Nothing flashy, nothing terrible, just a solid fantasy night. He was basically at his season average, which is fine when your backcourt is going nuclear.
The Wizards Bench Mob Actually Made Noise
Here's where it gets interesting for waiver wire purposes. The Wizards got absolutely worked by LaMelo and company, but their bench unit was legit productive. Bilal Coulibaly put up 17 points with 3 threes in just 17 minutes. He was +6.9 from his season average, and more importantly, his defensive stats (1 steal, 2 blocks) are the reason he's even relevant in this league.
Will Riley had a nice game with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 30 minutes. He was +3.9 in scoring and +3.7 in rebounding over his season average. Not earth-shattering, but if you need depth, Riley's showing he can contribute when minutes are there.
Jaden Hardy goes for 16 points on 4 threes off the bench and was +8.6 in scoring. Again, bench scoring when the starting lineup gets torched, but worth a look if you're in deeper leagues searching for inconsistent flyers.
Who Looked Bad
Kyshawn George came in at 14.9 PPG for the season and put up just 13 tonight while shooting 4-9. Minus 1.9 from his average isn't catastrophic, but paired with only 2 rebounds when he usually grabs 5.3, this was an off night. Not a panic situation, just an "off" night in a blowout.
Alondes Williams looked out of rhythm with minus 5 points from his season average. In a game that got out of hand, bench players who aren't getting rhythm touches tend to contribute less. Not a worry if you own him, just a bad matchup night.
The Bottom Line
Hornets won 129-112 and made it look relatively easy. LaMelo had a career night that you enjoy and move on from, knowing it's not repeatable every game. The Hornets' role players got theirs, which is solid fantasy depth. On the Wizards side, the bench unit kept it interesting from a waiver perspective, but nobody's building a league around these guys.
If you rode LaMelo tonight, lock in that W. If you picked up anyone from the Wizards bench hoping for this production to repeat, pump the brakes. This was a blowout bench game situation, not a new role reality. The Hornets just had everybody clicking at once, and that's the kind of thing that makes fantasy basketball both awesome and infuriating in equal measure.