CHA 109, POR 93: Miles Bridges Tops All Fantasy Scorers With 38.1 Yahoo FP
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician · Boston Celtics fan
Charlotte Hornets Cruise Past Portland, Bridges and Miller Lead the Way
Final Score: Hornets 109, Trail Blazers 93
Charlotte made quick work of Portland last night, and if you had the right guys in your lineup, you cleaned up. This wasn't some nail-biter where one three-pointer changes everything. The Hornets just flat out ran the Blazers off the court, and their fantasy studs made sure your points column reflected it.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miles Bridges | 41.0 | 38.1 | 14/8/5 | 17.9/6.1/3.4 | -3.9 |
| LaMelo Ball | 36.0 | 36.8 | 15/4/8 | 19.3/4.8/7.4 | -4.3 |
| Jrue Holiday | 39.0 | 36.0 | 25/5/4 | 15.8/4.5/6.2 | +9.2 |
| Brandon Miller | 35.0 | 34.6 | 26/8/2 | 21.0/4.8/3.4 | +5.0 |
| Moussa Diabaté | 34.0 | 32.7 | 13/11/5 | 8.4/8.7/1.7 | +4.6 |
| Kon Knueppel | 24.0 | 28.1 | 10/8/1 | 19.3/5.5/3.5 | -9.3 |
| Donovan Clingan | 30.0 | 27.6 | 7/8/2 | 11.8/11.5/2.1 | -4.8 |
| Jerami Grant | 27.0 | 25.2 | 21/1/2 | 18.8/3.5/2.3 | +2.2 |
| Toumani Camara | 22.0 | 24.2 | 12/6/2 | 13.0/5.3/2.6 | -1.0 |
| Coby White | 19.0 | 23.1 | 20/3/1 | 18.0/3.6/4.6 | +2.0 |
The Hornets Kept It Simple
Miles Bridges led the way with 38.1 Yahoo points on just 14 points, 8 boards and 5 assists. Yeah, his scoring was down 3.9 from his season average, but nobody cared because he was doing everything else. That's the kind of game where he's valuable whether he's dropping 25 or not. He played 32 minutes in a blowout, which tells you Charlotte was never worried.
Brandon Miller was the real story for the Hornets though. 26 points on 9-19 shooting, 6 threes, plus 8 boards. That's +5.0 from his season average and he went for 34.6 Yahoo points. This is the version of Miller fantasy managers have been waiting for all season. He's a 21 PPG guy on the year and sometimes he shows up like this, but he's also capable of disappearing for stretches. Last night he stayed aggressive and it paid off.
LaMelo Ball was fine with 36.8 points (15/4/8), but here's the thing, he only played 29 minutes. In a game where the Hornets were blowing out the Blazers by double digits, there's no reason to keep your primary ball handler in extended run. He was down from his season average, which makes sense given the limited minutes in a comfortable win.
The real sleeper hit was Moussa Diabaté with 32.7 points. 13 and 11 in 33 minutes, and he was +4.6 from his season average in a game where the Hornets had control the whole time. For a guy who averages 8.4 points normally, that's a meaningful contribution. If Diabaté is still available in your league, he's worth a look based on this one, but I'd pump the brakes before we get too excited. One good game against a weak frontcourt is different from being a consistent fantasy asset.
Kon Knueppel was the letdown here. -9.3 from his season average on 10 points and 8 boards? Look, 28 minutes isn't nothing, but he went 4-11 from the field and didn't move the needle. For a guy averaging 19.3 PPG, that's exactly the kind of stinker that makes you wonder if his role is slipping.
Portland Got Absolutely Cooked
Let's be straight, this was a bad loss for the Blazers, and it showed in the stat lines.
Jrue Holiday went for 36 Yahoo points with 25 points, 5 boards, and 4 dimes on 9-16 shooting. That's +9.2 from his season average and honestly one of the few bright spots for Portland. All-Defensive First Team member living up to the name, the All-NBA honor, all that. He was solid even in defeat.
But Donovan Clingan (27.6 points) and Jerami Grant (25.2 points) couldn't do enough to bail out the rest of the squad. Clingan went for 7 and 8, which is -4.8 from his average, and Grant scored 21 but only grabbed 1 board and had 2 assists. Grant played 31 minutes and never really got the supporting cast he needed.
The worst part for Portland? Everyone else disappeared. Matisse Thybulle chipped in some steals (2/1 in 12 minutes), and Robert Williams III did his thing off the bench, but that's not enough when your starting five is getting outgunned.
The Bottom Line
Charlotte is just the better team right now, and that's reflected in how the game flowed. If you owned Bridges, Miller, or Diabaté, you had a decent night. If you had Holiday on the Blazers side, you cashed in. But there weren't any huge league-altering performances here. Just a good Hornets team dominating at home against a Blazers squad that couldn't get out of its own way.
Keep an eye on Miller moving forward. When he's aggressive like that, he's a sell-high candidate if you can get a decent return, or a hold if he's on another hot streak. Diabaté is the only real waiver wire consideration out of this one, but expect him to regress to the mean pretty quick.
Nothing crazy to chase here. It was a road game where the underdog got rolled, and the home team's depth showed up. Move on to the next one.