CHA 133, IND 109: Miller Delivers 46.4 Yahoo FP
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician · Boston Celtics fan
Hornets Wire Charlotte Into the Playoffs, But Fantasy Managers Already Saw This Coming
Final: Hornets 133, Pacers 109
Look, I'm not going to waste your time with "Charlotte came out and played well" nonsense. The Hornets put up 133 points and it wasn't even close. More importantly for your fantasy squad, three Hornets went absolutely nuclear, and one of them might finally be worth trusting going forward.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Miller | 52.0 | 46.4 | 33/7/4 | 20.9/4.7/3.4 | +12.1 |
| Kon Knueppel | 53.0 | 40.8 | 28/4/2 | 19.4/5.4/3.5 | +8.6 |
| LaMelo Ball | 47.0 | 39.8 | 20/4/8 | 19.4/4.8/7.3 | +0.6 |
| Moussa Diabaté | 43.0 | 37.2 | 14/11/4 | 8.3/8.6/1.7 | +5.7 |
| Andrew Nembhard | 33.0 | 33.1 | 20/3/7 | 17.4/2.8/7.4 | +2.6 |
| Micah Potter | 39.0 | 31.3 | 19/4/1 | 9.0/4.4/1.6 | +10.0 |
| Jarace Walker | 27.0 | 28.7 | 16/6/1 | 10.9/4.9/2.3 | +5.1 |
| Ben Sheppard | 27.0 | 23.5 | 11/5/3 | 7.0/3.2/1.8 | +4.0 |
| Quenton Jackson | 22.0 | 22.8 | 13/4/2 | 9.2/2.2/2.1 | +3.8 |
| T.J. McConnell | 21.0 | 20.9 | 9/2/7 | 9.5/2.2/4.7 | -0.5 |
The Brandon Miller Conversation
Brandon Miller put up 46.4 Yahoo points. That's the kind of number that makes you check the stat sheet twice to make sure you're reading it right. 33 points in 25 minutes. 11-19 shooting. 6 threes. This wasn't a case of a role player getting weird garbage time minutes, either. This was him going off when it mattered.
Here's the thing though: he's +12.1 from his season average. That's real. But he's also been hovering around 20.9 PPG on solid efficiency all year. You want him? You've got him in 99.1% of leagues already. So this is less "go grab him off waivers" and more "don't trade him away in a panic next time he has a quiet game." Because yeah, those are coming. But nights like this show he can genuinely carry your team when you need it.
Kon Knueppel Is Finally Worth Talking About
Kon Knueppel dropped 40.8 Yahoo points with eight threes. That's not some fluke either. He's shooting better from three lately, and tonight he proved he can keep up with the Hornets' pace when the game gets going.
For deeper leagues (12+ teams), he's actually worth considering as a streaming option. A guy who can knock down eight threes in a game has some floor. His season average of 19.4 PPG is solid, and he went +8.6 tonight. Forty-nine percent owned league-wide, so he's already on most radars, but if he's sitting in free agency in your league, add him now before someone else does.
LaMelo Ball Showed Up (But That's Baseline Expectation)
LaMelo Ball had 39.8 Yahoo points. 20 points, 8 assists, 21 minutes. This is basically what you're supposed to get from him when Charlotte's rolling. He didn't blow away his season numbers (+0.6 pts, -0.8 rebs), which tells you this was just a solid, expected performance from a guy making All-NBA money.
The assists are the headline here. Seven on the year, eight tonight. When he's healthy and engaged, he's a reliable source of dimes. The 99.1% ownership means you already have him, and you shouldn't be sweating one game where he looked normal.
The Pacers Bench Showed Heart But Couldn't Save This
On the flip side, Indiana's depth really tried to make this interesting. Micah Potter went +10.0 from his season average with 19 points in 25 minutes. Jarace Walker added 28.7 Yahoo points, also well above his season norm. These guys held their own against a Hornets team that was just on another level tonight.
Andrew Nembhard posted a solid 33.1 Yahoo points with a balanced line (20/3/7), but his PG depth got exposed. When Charlotte's offense is that smooth, role players can't compensate.
Real talk about the Pacers though: Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam being out is a massive problem. Haliburton's an All-NBA second teamer, and Siakam is posting 23.9 PPG on the season. Without those guys, Indiana's just trying to keep games competitive with bench scoring. That's not a winning formula.
What This Means for Your Roster
The Hornets are putting together something real if they can stay healthy. Moussa Diabaté continues to show he's a legitimate fantasy center option, posting 37.2 Yahoo points with 11 boards. He's a cheap building block if he keeps seeing 29 minutes.
For Indiana, hold steady on Nembhard and the core. They'll get healthy eventually, and when Haliburton comes back, he's immediately valuable again. Right now though, the bench guys getting extra minutes are dart throws. Micah Potter looked good for a game, but I'm not overreacting to one night.
Charlotte's the story here. They just handled Indiana by 24 on their home floor. That's playoff-caliber execution.