DEN 129, HOU 93: Jokić's Lockdown Defense: 5 Steals
Tyler Okonkwo
Student & Retail Associate · Houston Rockets fan
Denver Smacks Houston 129-93: Jokic Underperforms But Murray Goes Off
Alright, so that was rough. I'm not even gonna sugarcoat it, my Rockets got absolutely cooked at home, and now I'm refreshing the standings like maybe the score will change if I close my eyes and open them again. It won't. Let's talk fantasy.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Jokić | 67.0 | 62.9 | 16/12/13 | 28.6/12.5/10.4 | -12.6 |
| Jamal Murray | 45.0 | 40.4 | 30/2/4 | 25.5/4.3/7.1 | +4.5 |
| Cameron Johnson | 49.0 | 37.4 | 17/2/4 | 11.2/3.7/2.4 | +5.8 |
| Christian Braun | 42.0 | 31.3 | 19/4/3 | 10.8/4.9/2.9 | +8.2 |
| Amen Thompson | 30.0 | 29.0 | 16/5/4 | 17.7/7.6/5.3 | -1.7 |
| Josh Okogie | 29.0 | 26.1 | 12/3/3 | 5.1/2.7/0.8 | +6.9 |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | 25.0 | 24.4 | 11/7/2 | 15.4/6.8/1.8 | -4.4 |
| Alperen Sengun | 24.0 | 23.9 | 10/2/3 | 20.2/8.9/6.1 | -10.2 |
| Tari Eason | 21.0 | 22.6 | 8/8/2 | 10.8/6.3/1.7 | -2.8 |
| Jonas Valančiūnas | 29.0 | 22.5 | 12/5/3 | 8.6/5.0/1.2 | +3.4 |
The Nuggets Just Flexed
Jamal Murray came to play. 30 points on 11-21 shooting is exactly what you want from your All-NBA second team guard, and he did it efficiently while Denver was already up like 20. 40.4 Yahoo FP is a solid night but nothing outrageous for a guy averaging 25.5/7.1. Still, +4.5 vs his season average means he showed up when the Rockets were getting blown out. If you own Murray, you're fine. He's consistent and tonight proves it.
Now here's where it gets interesting: Nikola Jokic finished with a triple-double (16/12/13) and 62.9 Yahoo FP, but that's -12.6 from his 28.6 average. The reigning All-NBA first-teamer didn't need to go full mode because Denver was already in cruise control by halftime. 30 minutes of run time tells the story, man. Jokic wasn't bad, he just wasn't Jokic. For most owners, you're not sweating this one game, but if your league uses game logs for waiver tiebreakers, remember Jokic coasted hard.
The real story is the role players going off. Christian Braun posted 19 points on 8-10 shooting with 3 threes. That's +8.2 vs his 10.8 average. 31.3 Yahoo FP is quality work. Cameron Johnson added 17/4 with +5.8 vs average. These are the kinds of games that mess with your waiver wire because suddenly guys are looking better than they actually are. Don't fall for it. Denver just destroyed Houston, and bench guys eat when your team wins like that.
Houston's Disaster Gets Specific
Let me be real: this loss is ugly for fantasy purposes because it wasn't a close game. When you get blown out 36 points at home, nobody on your team has a good night.
Alperen Sengun is the canary in the coal mine here. The big man that's supposed to give you 20/9 showed up with 10/2/3 on 5-8 shooting. That's -10.2 from his season average. He also went 0-4 from the free throw line, which never happens. 24 minutes of action, but when the game is a blowout, rotations get weird. This is one you forget about by Sunday.
Jabari Smith Jr. struggled too, putting up 11/7/2 in 27 minutes. That's -4.4 vs his 15.4 average. He was fighting all night and only hit 5-10 from the field. Rockets guards were chucking contested looks because they were desperate.
But here's who I'm actually watching closer: Amen Thompson finished with 16/5/4 on 8-14 shooting. That's -1.7 vs his 17.7 average, which means it's basically a normal night for him, not a disaster. 30 minutes played, hit his looks. Kid was one of the few Rockets showing any life, and honestly, he's been solid all season. If you got him late in your draft or grabbed him off waivers, you're still good.
The Bench Mob Actually Showed Up
Josh Okogie is trending up for real. 12/3/3 on 5-10 shooting with 2 threes is +6.9 vs his 5.1 average. 26.1 Yahoo FP in 23 minutes is the kind of workload that doesn't seem crazy until you realize he's been a fringe guy all season. He got minutes because the game got out of hand, sure, but he also didn't embarrass himself. I'm not saying add him in 12-team leagues, but in 14+ and deeper formats, Okogie's name just went on the board.
Tari Eason grabbed 8 rebounds and showed activity with 8/8/2. That's 22.6 Yahoo FP despite only scoring 8. The rebound grab is what matters here. He's playing 21 minutes and averaging 6.3 boards, so this wasn't fluky. Eason's got trade bait potential as a secondary rebounder if someone in your league is desperate for boards.
Clint Capela picked up 9/7/1 with a steal in 23 minutes. That's exactly what you want from a cheap big when the starter gets minutes limited. 21.4 Yahoo FP for a guy who's been productive at minimal cost. Keep riding him if you grabbed him.
What This Means Going Forward
One thing I'm noticing: Denver's bench is getting reliable minutes and producing. If you're streaming at all this week, watch the Nuggets rotation closely. They played loose because they were up so much, and Christian Braun especially looked comfortable. That's a name to remember for future matchups against bad defenses.
For the Rockets, this game doesn't define anything. It's one loss in a long season, but it's a bad loss that won't help trading positions within your league. If you own any Rockets core guys, you're probably holding them anyway. The issue is players like Alperen Sengun need to bounce back, and when you go down 36 at home, everybody looks worse than they are.
Steven Adams didn't play and got dropped by someone in your league, probably. Don't pick him up just because he's available. The guy's upside was limited anyway.
The Nuggets showed why they're contenders even without going full throttle. The Rockets showed why they need everybody clicking. One was a blowout, one was a team playing desperate. That's the fantasy game in a nutshell, my guy.