TOR 122, PHX 115: Ingram Lights It Up With 51.9 Yahoo FP
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Raptors Hold Off Suns in Toronto: Brandon Ingram Goes Nuclear, Jalen Green Can't Save Phoenix
Toronto took down Phoenix 122-115 on the road last night, and if you had Brandon Ingram in your lineup, you're already texting your league chat. If you had him on your bench, well, we don't need to talk about that pain.
This game had all the makings of a Suns blowout win. Instead, the Raptors locked in defensively and made their shots when it mattered. For fantasy purposes, that meant a few guys cooked and a few others got exposed. Let's break it down.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Ingram | 62.0 | 51.9 | 36/7/3 | 21.7/5.7/3.8 | +14.3 |
| Jalen Green | 54.0 | 46.0 | 34/5/4 | 17.4/3.3/2.5 | +16.6 |
| RJ Barrett | 50.0 | 44.7 | 22/6/5 | 18.8/5.5/3.3 | +3.2 |
| Scottie Barnes | 34.0 | 33.2 | 14/6/4 | 18.7/7.8/5.3 | -4.7 |
| Devin Booker | 28.0 | 32.6 | 31/3/0 | 25.4/4.0/6.0 | +5.6 |
| Grayson Allen | 29.0 | 28.4 | 15/2/6 | 17.3/3.0/4.2 | -2.3 |
| Royce O'Neale | 25.0 | 25.2 | 6/6/4 | 10.0/4.9/2.8 | -4.0 |
| Rasheer Fleming | 32.0 | 24.6 | 9/3/0 | 3.5/2.0/0.2 | +5.5 |
| Jamal Shead | 26.0 | 22.4 | 6/2/8 | 6.8/1.9/5.1 | -0.8 |
| Immanuel Quickley | 22.0 | 22.3 | 17/4/1 | 17.3/4.2/6.0 | -0.3 |
Brandon Ingram Went CRAZY
Look at those numbers. Ingram dropped 36 points on 13-20 shooting with 5 threes, and grabbed 7 boards in 38 minutes. That's 51.9 Yahoo points, which is the kind of performance that wins your week and gets you thinking about him differently going forward.
The thing is, he was +14.3 points above his season average tonight. That's elite-level output, but here's my real take: this is more sustainable than a random blowup game. When a guy shoots 65% from the field and hits five threes, that's not him getting lucky. That's him playing efficiently against a defense that couldn't stop him. If this becomes a pattern, he's in a different conversation for fantasy value. But one game doesn't make a season. Stay locked in on his shot volume and efficiency over the next week.
Jalen Green and the Three-Point Barrage
Jalen Green came out slinging and hit 8 threes on 13-25 shooting. 46 Yahoo points off 34 points and 4 assists. The crazy part? He also came in +16.6 from his season average, which tells you he went way above his usual pace.
Here's what matters: Green isn't usually launching from deep at this rate. His season average is 17.4 points on 2.5 assists. Tonight he was hunting threes and finding them. If Phoenix's spacing opens up for him going forward, this could be the start of something. If this was just a hot shooting night, expect regression. Monitor his shot selection over the next few games before you overcommit to him.
Devin Booker: The Weird One
Booker put up 31 points but something was off. Zero assists on the night, down from his season average of 6.0. He was also only +5.6 from his season average in scoring, which means he didn't elevate the way his teammates did.
The turnover situation was bad too (going off the actual game flow). He looked isolation-heavy instead of running pick-and-roll action. For fantasy, that's a concern. You want Booker distributing. If Phoenix's offense stays stagnant, even his scoring nights might not hit the ceiling you want. This feels like a "wait and see" before panicking, but flag it.
RJ Barrett and the Role Player Surprise
RJ Barrett had a solid night with 22/6/5 and 2 steals. That 44.7 Yahoo points is exactly what you want from him when he's focused. He wasn't flashy, but he was efficient (9-16 from the field) and active on both ends. This is the Barrett you trade for in mid-season deals, not the one who disappears for four quarters. If Toronto keeps feeding him, he's a legitimately useful fantasy asset.
Scottie Barnes Got Quiet
Scottie Barnes coming in at 14/6/4 with -4.7 from his season average stings. He's supposed to be a 18.7/7.8/5.3 guy, and tonight he looked passive. Only 6-12 shooting, no threes. Toronto got the win but Barnes didn't have his usual impact. One off night doesn't crater his value, but if the Raptors start riding Ingram and Barrett harder, it could compress his role. Watch his minutes next game.
The Deep Bench Guys
Rasheer Fleming went off for 24.6 Yahoo points off the bench with 9/3 and three threes. That's a breakout game for a fringe player. Grayson Allen stayed solid with 28.4 Yahoo points, though he came in slightly below his season average. Royce O'Neale was fine, rebounding well (6 boards) but not much volume otherwise.
The bench guys are interesting but probably not worth moving mountains for unless you're in a super deep league. Fleming deserves monitoring though, if he's available and Phoenix keeps needing scoring off the bench.
The Real Takeaway
Toronto won because they played better team basketball and defense. From a fantasy perspective, that defense kept Booker from orchestrating an offense and limited Barnes from his usual impact. Meanwhile, Ingram and Green just ran hot and Phoenix couldn't adjust.
If you own Ingram, you're holding. If you're considering trading for him, his efficiency tonight was legit. If you have Booker, don't panic yet, but stay sharp about his assist rates. And if Barrett is available in your league, there's a play there. This game showed that sometimes the matchup matters as much as the talent.