UTA 119, GSW 116: Kyle Filipowski Outduels Melton in Fantasy Showdown
Marcus Thompson Jr.
Fire Lieutenant ยท Golden State Warriors fan
Warriors Get Torched by Jazz Bench Depth, Kyle Filipowski Arrives as Fantasy Asset
This one stings, man. Not just because Golden State dropped a three-pointer at home (119-116), but because it wasn't even close to as competitive as the final score suggests. Utah's bench depth cooked us, and we need to talk about what that means for your rosters heading into the stretch run.
Let me be straight with you: Stephen Curry didn't play. Neither did Jimmy Butler III, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, or Will Richard. The Warriors basically sent a g-league squad to Salt Lake City and got punished for it. That's the only real story here on the injury front, but it completely changed how we should evaluate tonight's performances.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Filipowski | 49.0 | 49.5 | 19/15/5 | 10.5/7.0/2.3 | +8.5 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 42.0 | 40.4 | 22/7/2 | 13.0/3.1/2.3 | +9.0 |
| Gui Santos | 39.0 | 38.1 | 15/8/5 | 7.3/3.7/1.9 | +7.7 |
| Brandin Podziemski | 32.0 | 32.6 | 14/8/4 | 12.7/5.2/3.7 | +1.3 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | 31.0 | 29.9 | 21/2/3 | 12.9/3.0/1.6 | +8.1 |
| Elijah Harkless | 28.0 | 28.4 | 16/2/6 | 4.4/1.4/2.1 | +11.6 |
| John Konchar | 30.0 | 27.5 | 2/10/3 | 3.1/3.4/1.5 | -1.1 |
| Kevin Love | 31.0 | 26.1 | 12/8/1 | 6.8/5.9/1.8 | +5.2 |
| Draymond Green | 27.0 | 24.9 | 6/2/11 | 8.5/5.5/5.3 | -2.5 |
| Cody Williams | 21.0 | 24.1 | 12/3/7 | 6.2/2.6/1.3 | +5.8 |
Kyle Filipowski Just Announced Himself
Look, I've been watching basketball for 35 years. Seen a lot of young bigs come through. Kyle Filipowski playing 24 minutes and dropping 49 Yahoo fantasy points on 19/15/5 shooting is not a normal night, but it's not a fluke either. This kid went +8.5 points, +8.0 rebounds compared to his season average. That's not variance, that's skill.
Filipowski is averaging 10.5/7.0/2.3 before tonight. Now he just proved he can get 19 boards in less than 25 minutes against a Warriors squad without their usual rim protection. The shooting efficiency was butter too, 6-12 from the field and 6-6 from the line. This is the kind of performance that gets you moved up on waiver priority immediately.
If you're in a 14-team league or deeper, he's a priority add. Even in 12-team leagues where he might already be owned, this is a hold-your-breath moment. He's not going to put up 49 Yahoo points every night, but elite rebounding plus plus-shooting nights? That's a real third big option now.
The Jazz Bench Just Proved Something
Here's what jumped out: the Jazz didn't get this win on the backs of their stars. Keyonte George actually underperformed (15/0/2 against his season average of 23.8/3.7/6.2). Utah won because they got contributions from literally everywhere else.
Brice Sensabaugh went 21 points on solid efficiency. Elijah Harkless came out of nowhere with 16 points and six assists. John Konchar grabbed 10 boards. Even Kevin Love hit 3 threes in 15 minutes. That's the kind of balanced attack that's hard to beat in the playoffs, and it's the kind of game that gets bench guys added to waivers.
Elijah Harkless specifically deserves a look if he's available. He's averaging 4.4 points but put up 16 tonight with six dimes. That +11.6 on scoring is legit. Is this his new baseline? Probably not. But in deeper leagues, he's worth a flier to see if Utah's starting to lean on him more.
Warriors' Makeshift Squad Had Moments
De'Anthony Melton was the only bright spot for Golden State, and even then, 40 Yahoo points in 19 minutes tells you this game got out of hand. Gui Santos (15/8/5) actually looked solid filling in. Brandin Podziemski did his thing, but none of this matters when your two biggest stars are off the floor.
Draymond Green dropped 24.9 Yahoo points but needed 32 minutes to do it. That's fine, that's Draymond's role, but it doesn't change the fact that this roster isn't competing at full strength without its main pieces.
The only Warriors player I'd even consider adding from this game is Gui Santos, and only if you're desperate for wing depth. He got 33 minutes with the lineup shattered, which isn't sustainable when everyone comes back.
What Actually Matters
Here's the real takeaway: Keyonte George disappointed (15 points against a 23.8 average). That's a name to monitor. If he continues underperforming when Jazz stars are healthy, he's a sell-high candidate. Meanwhile, Utah's depth just proved it can carry games when one guy goes off, which makes Kyle Filipowski and Brice Sensabaugh worth holding in 12-team leagues.
For the Warriors, this is meaningless until we know the status of their rotation guys. Don't overreact to any individual performance tonight. This game was basically a preseason scrimmage with playoff seeding implications.