ATL 131, MIL 113: Fantasy Fireworks: Rollins vs Okongwu
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Hawks Blew Out the Bucks and Your Fantasy Lineup Probably Looked Like This
So the Hawks went into Milwaukee and cooked. 131-113. That's the kind of wire-to-wire dominance that makes you feel good about your league's decision-making, especially if you had any piece of Atlanta's puzzle tonight.
Here's what went down on the fantasy scoresheet:
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Rollins | 53.0 | 48.6 | 13/8/12 | 16.8/4.7/5.5 | -3.8 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 52.0 | 45.1 | 21/8/1 | 16.2/7.9/3.2 | +4.8 |
| Jalen Johnson | 41.0 | 42.5 | 20/5/9 | 22.7/10.5/8.0 | -2.7 |
| Dyson Daniels | 46.0 | 39.5 | 14/10/3 | 11.4/6.6/6.1 | +2.6 |
| CJ McCollum | 43.0 | 37.4 | 18/2/8 | 18.7/3.4/3.6 | -0.7 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 38.0 | 37.0 | 24/5/4 | 27.6/9.9/5.4 | -3.6 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 35.0 | 27.2 | 23/1/2 | 19.8/3.5/3.7 | +3.2 |
| Bobby Portis | 26.0 | 23.3 | 13/4/3 | 13.3/6.3/1.5 | -0.3 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | 26.0 | 23.0 | 12/5/0 | 10.2/3.7/1.3 | +1.8 |
| Jericho Sims | 21.0 | 20.7 | 4/11/3 | 3.9/4.9/1.1 | +0.1 |
The Hawks Just Said "We're Different" Without Saying Anything
Onyeka Okongwu put up 21/8/1 on 9-14 shooting (45.1 Yahoo FP) and honestly, this is what he should do more often. He got 30 minutes in a blowout and looked comfortable doing his thing in the paint. The big move here is he went +4.8 on scoring, which means he was buckets on a night when Milwaukee's interior defense checked out around halfway through the second quarter. I'm a Hawks fan, so I'm biased, but O.K. has been more valuable than his fantasy ownership suggests. He's a floor guy who gives you 35-40 solid fantasy points on most nights, and when he gets this kind of runway, he eats. That's a player worth having on your team if he's available.
Ryan Rollins went 13/8/12 out of the Bucks' backcourt and that's a 48.6 night that felt efficient even if the scoring was down three from his average. The thing about Rollins is he's always going to run the offense and rack up assists, and Milwaukee needed him to do exactly that because the rest of the roster was getting cooked. Twelve dimes tells you the game stayed close enough that he had to generate scoring for his teammates. That's a guy who stays on rosters because he's reliable, even when his team loses.
Jalen Johnson finished with 20/5/9 (42.5 Yahoo FP) and I want to talk about the usage here because it's instructive. He took 17 shots, which is high, but on a night when the Hawks blew out Milwaukee, that meant Johnson got his touches early and often. He was a minus on rebounding (5 vs his 10.5 average) but the assist bump was real. That nine dimes tells me he was facilitating more than usual, probably because the game was decided and the Hawks wanted to play free-flowing basketball. Don't expect 42.5 every night, but 38-40? That's the floor.
The Waiver Wire Moves That Matter
Nickeil Alexander-Walker just cracked 27.2 Yahoo FP with 23/1/2 on 9-14 shooting (five threes). He's trending upward and ownership went up 0.3% after this, which is nothing, but he's already at 84.4% owned in most leagues. The problem is he flopped on rebounds and assists, so this was a scoring explosion more than a complete stat sheet. Still, if he's available in your 10-team league, grab him because the Hawks just proved they'll feed him when the lineup is healthy.
Dyson Daniels put up 14/10/3 with three steals (39.5 Yahoo FP) and that's a bounce-back night for our Most Improved Player from last season. He was plus 2.6 on scoring and plus 3.4 on rebounds, which means he was hitting his marks. The issue is he's always going to be a mixed bag on assists because that's not his main role. But blocks and steals? He tied or exceeded his season usage on those. This is your glue guy. Not flashy, but he shows up.
The Bucks Side: Giannis Did What He Could
Giannis Antetokounmpo (All-NBA First Team, if we're keeping score) went 24/5/4 on 10-15 shooting, which is efficient, but that's minus 3.6 on scoring and minus 4.9 on rebounding. Twenty-six minutes tells you everything you need to know. The game was over, Milwaukee's role players couldn't hang, and there was no point in grinding out a fourth quarter loss. This isn't panic time for Giannis owners. This was a bad matchup on a night when the Hawks' entire team was clicking. He'll be fine.
Bobby Portis threw in 13/4/3 with three threes and that's a solid role player night (23.3 Yahoo FP). Nothing special, nothing concerning. He's a real "depends on usage" guy, and when the team is playing from behind most of the game, you're not running through your backup power forward. That's it.
The real issue for Milwaukee tonight was that their depth got exposed. Jericho Sims pulled down 11 rebounds in 22 minutes (20.7 Yahoo FP) and that's the only reason the Bucks had any interior presence. When your third-string center is outworking your starters, it's a bad sign. He won't see this many minutes in a competitive game, so don't go adding him thinking you found a gem.
Bottom Line
The Hawks showed they can win a statement game on the road. The Bucks just reminded us they need everything clicking to compete. For fantasy purposes, this was a Hawks showcase. If you own anyone on Atlanta's core four, you feel good. If you own Giannis, you're not sweating one bad night in a blowout loss. Normal business resumes next time.