GSW 128, DEN 117: Jokić Demolishes Fantasy Leagues With 87 Yahoo FP
Maya Chen
UX Designer · Golden State Warriors fan
Warriors Pull Off Defensive Masterclass, But Fantasy Managers Get Mixed Signals
The Warriors just showed up to Oracle Arena and decided to make life miserable for anyone who had Denver on their fantasy roster. Final score, 128-117, and honestly the margin could've been wider. But here's the thing that matters for your lineups: this wasn't some offensive shootout. This was gritty, switching defense mixed with timely buckets. And that changes who ate and who didn't.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Jokić | 92.0 | 87.0 | 35/20/12 | 28.8/12.5/10.5 | +6.2 |
| Brandin Podziemski | 50.0 | 49.5 | 18/15/9 | 12.1/4.8/3.7 | +5.9 |
| Al Horford | 64.0 | 46.7 | 22/1/7 | 7.9/4.9/2.5 | +14.1 |
| Moses Moody | 46.0 | 39.9 | 23/7/5 | 11.7/3.3/1.5 | +11.3 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 42.0 | 39.8 | 20/4/2 | 12.2/2.8/2.3 | +7.8 |
| Gui Santos | 42.0 | 34.5 | 17/5/7 | 6.2/3.0/1.6 | +10.8 |
| Christian Braun | 32.0 | 30.0 | 18/5/2 | 10.2/4.4/3.0 | +7.8 |
| Bruce Brown | 31.0 | 28.0 | 12/5/2 | 7.8/4.0/2.2 | +4.2 |
| Jamal Murray | 22.0 | 24.4 | 21/2/2 | 25.5/4.4/7.5 | -4.5 |
| Gary Payton II | 24.0 | 21.6 | 15/3/0 | 5.6/3.1/1.5 | +9.4 |
The Jokic Problem (But Also the Jokic Guarantee)
Nikola Jokic didn't get the memo that this was supposed to be a defensive grind. The reigning All-NBA selection put up 35/20/12 on 11-21 shooting, and yeah, he shot 3-for-15 from three with one turnover. That's a lot of volume. He still crushed it with 87 Yahoo points because he's a cheat code, but here's what matters for owners, this is 35 points on questionable efficiency. He's getting nearly 40 minutes every night now, and Denver's looking tired. You're not trading him, but you need to know the gap between his elite scoring nights and his "still good but not elite" nights is getting narrower. That's actually a positive for consistency if you're in a keeper league.
The Warriors' Role Player Roulette Wheel
This is where it gets spicy. Al Horford went absolutely nuclear off the bench, 22 points on 8-11 shooting with 6 threes in just 26 minutes. That's +14.1 versus his season average. Veterans don't usually hit that spike randomly, but Horford's shooting has been creeping up all season. If he's getting 25+ minutes and staying hot from deep, he's a league winner in 12-team leagues on the wire right now. Grab him if he's still available.
Moses Moody (23/7/5) and Brandin Podziemski (18/15/9) both had the game of their careers. Moody was +11.3 on points, Podziemski +5.9 on assists. These guys aren't going to do this every night, but it's worth watching the next Warriors game to see if this was a system thing or just a hot shooting night. Moody especially looked locked in.
De'Anthony Melton (20/4/2 with 4 steals) and Gui Santos (17/5/7) both flew off the page with usage bumps. Melton's still a reserve, so don't go crazy, but if there's injury rotation happening on the Warriors, he's the first name to track.
Denver's Perimeter Collapse
Jamal Murray put up 21 points but only 2 assists while shooting 9-17. That's a guy who got hunted on defense and had to compensate with scoring. He was -4.5 on assists versus his average. Christian Braun tried to stay aggressive (18/5/2), but he's just not the playmaker you need from a guard. The Nuggets' bench got outscored badly, and it shows.
Bruce Brown (12/5/2 with 3 steals) at least played solid D, but this wasn't the volume game you'd want from him in fantasy. He's a nice streamer in the right matchup, but Denver's supporting cast just didn't have it tonight.
The Actual Moving Parts
The big question is whether Gui Santos (that +10.8 on points) stays in the rotation. He got 27 minutes and ate, but Warriors' lineups change week to week. Keep an eye on the injury report. If anyone's shoulder, ankle, or knee is lingering, Santos becomes a must-add. Right now he's probably in the 10-15% ownership range, so your league probably doesn't have him.
Gary Payton II (15/3 with 3 threes) is the kind of deep bench guy who shows up in blowouts. Don't read too much into this one.
The Bottom Line
Warriors came to defend, and it worked. If you owned Jokic, you got your points but should expect more "good" than "great" nights when Denver's getting held under 120. If you own anyone on the Warriors' bench, tonight was probably a ceiling game. Al Horford's the exception, might actually be onto something there.
One thing I'll say as a Warriors faithful: seeing this team play real defense is chef's kiss. But for your fantasy purposes, just know that games like this usually mean the role player performance gets regressed next time out. Dynasty managers should still be hunting for Moody and Horford upside, though.