DEN 120, LAL 113: Nikola Jokić Makes It Look Easy: 61 ESPN FP
Hiro Tanaka
Physical Therapy Assistant · Los Angeles Lakers fan
Nuggets Survive Late Lakers Push, But The Real Story Is Who Actually Showed Up
Alright, so the Nuggets barely held off the Lakers 120-113 last night, and honestly? This game was way more interesting for what it tells us about role changes and minutes distribution than it was as a basketball game. Let me break down what actually matters for your lineups.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Dončić | 61.0 | 59.7 | 27/11/7 | 32.3/7.8/8.6 | -5.3 |
| Nikola Jokić | 61.0 | 58.9 | 28/12/13 | 28.6/12.6/10.4 | -0.6 |
| LeBron James | 54.0 | 45.0 | 16/5/8 | 21.4/5.6/7.0 | -5.4 |
| Austin Reaves | 48.0 | 41.5 | 16/5/7 | 23.6/4.8/5.4 | -7.6 |
| Jamal Murray | 46.0 | 41.3 | 28/4/7 | 25.7/4.4/7.3 | +2.3 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 32.0 | 28.0 | 19/5/2 | 7.0/4.0/0.9 | +12.0 |
| Christian Braun | 27.0 | 26.0 | 15/5/4 | 10.9/4.8/2.9 | +4.1 |
| Rui Hachimura | 33.0 | 24.9 | 16/2/3 | 11.6/3.3/0.9 | +4.4 |
| Julian Strawther | 23.0 | 21.4 | 18/2/0 | 7.3/2.1/1.1 | +10.7 |
| Bruce Brown | 16.0 | 16.7 | 8/6/1 | 7.6/4.0/2.2 | +0.4 |
The Nuggets Backcourt Showed Up, Even If Denver Looked Sloppy
Jamal Murray had the cleanest night of anyone on the floor. 28 points on 8-17 shooting with 5 threes and a perfect 7-7 from the line? That's a top-tier fantasy night, and he did it in 38 minutes without the usual playmaking load (just 7 assists). The thing is, Murray was only +2.3 on his season average. That tells you how consistently this dude has been cooking all year. He's First-Team All-NBA for a reason. No panic holds needed, but he's in that tier where you're not getting discount pricing on him anymore.
Nikola Jokic basically hit his season numbers right down the middle. 28/12/13 is almost exactly his baseline, which makes sense for a reigning MVP doing his job. The assist total was the only standout, getting to 13 dimes. Against a Lakers team that doesn't have the perimeter defense to make things hard, Jokic got into a rhythm running the offense. Nothing scary here for managers. He's doing what he does.
Here's Where It Gets Weird: Lakers' Center Minutes Went Sideways
OK so this is the part that matters for your waiver wire. Jaxson Hayes went absolutely nuclear off the bench with 19 points on 8-10 shooting in just 27 minutes. That's +12.0 above his season average, which is a massive spike. But here's my PT brain talking: don't get too hyped just yet. 27 minutes is still limited, and he got hot shooting. What actually happened is Deandre Ayton barely played (4 minutes, 0 points), which suggests the Lakers are maybe rethinking the center rotation.
Hayes looked good and Denver's interior defense wasn't locked in, but one hot game doesn't fix the fact that he's been a reserve all season. If Ayton's minutes stay bottled up, that's a different story. For now, Hayes as a speculation add in 12-team leagues makes sense, but he's not a plug-and-play starter yet. Watch how his role looks next game.
Julian Strawther is Actually Becoming Someone
Let me flag Julian Strawther because this dude just put up 18 points on 6-10 shooting with 2 threes in 28 minutes, and that's +10.7 above his season average. This is a 7.3 PPG guy who suddenly looks like he's found a role in Denver's offense. He's skinny at 69.8% ownership, which means he's still available in most competitive leagues. The Nuggets seem to be trusting him more in the rotation, and if that trend continues, he becomes a viable source of points and threes off the bench. Not a slam dunk, but worth monitoring.
Lakers Role Players Did Their Thing, But It Wasn't Enough
Rui Hachimura put up 16 points with 4 threes in 28 minutes. That's solid contribution ball, but he's been a 11.6 PPG guy, so this was just a touch above his line. Nothing to lose sleep over, but the Lakers got efficient scoring from their depth. Same with Christian Braun for Denver, who hit 15 on 6-12 with 2 threes. Both these guys are role guys doing exactly what they're supposed to do.
Austin Reaves was -7.6 on his season average, putting up just 16 points when he's been a 23.6 PPG contributor. He wasn't terrible, but he got 38 minutes and didn't make the game-changing impact you'd want. Not a panic drop, but worth noting if you're considering selling him high somewhere.
The Real L is LeBron Being LeBron
Look, LeBron James went for 16/5/8 on decent efficiency, but that's -5.4 below his season average. At 21.4 PPG, LeBron's been a machine this year, so when he dips like this, people notice. That said, he got 33 minutes and was doing his veteran thing running the offense (8 assists). This is the nature of playoff-seeding basketball. He doesn't need to go for 30 every night. Not worried.
The Waiver Wire Takeaway
The only real add worth pursuing off this game is Hayes as a flier if Ayton's role really is shrinking. If you've got a bench spot and you're in a 12-team or deeper league, grab him and see if the Lakers keep him in rotation.
Deandre Ayton is the silent story here. If you own him, this is a yellow flag on minutes. He got 4 minutes. Watch his status closely before the next game. In 14-team leagues or deeper, he might not be droppable yet, but he's definitely a "wait and see" moving forward.