SAS 115, CHA 102: Wembanyama Scores 32 Points
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician ยท Boston Celtics fan
Wembanyama's 74.4 Yahoo FP Monster Shows Why He's a Lock, But Charlotte's Depth Nearly Pulled Off the Upset
Spurs 115, Hornets 102. On paper, that's a comfortable 13-point win. On the fantasy scoreboard, it was Victor Wembanyama absolutely demolishing expectations while Charlotte's offense threw everything at the wall and somehow kept it close anyway.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | 86.0 | 74.4 | 32/12/8 | 24.3/11.2/3.0 | +7.7 |
| De'Aaron Fox | 37.0 | 38.2 | 17/6/4 | 19.1/3.7/6.3 | -2.1 |
| LaMelo Ball | 41.0 | 35.8 | 17/4/2 | 19.3/4.8/7.1 | -2.3 |
| Stephon Castle | 34.0 | 35.4 | 15/7/10 | 16.6/5.1/7.0 | -1.6 |
| Coby White | 39.0 | 34.8 | 18/4/2 | 17.3/3.5/4.4 | +0.7 |
| Kon Knueppel | 32.0 | 31.7 | 20/6/3 | 19.3/5.3/3.4 | +0.7 |
| Miles Bridges | 34.0 | 30.8 | 22/4/2 | 17.6/5.8/3.4 | +4.4 |
| Julian Champagnie | 27.0 | 25.8 | 9/4/2 | 11.1/5.8/1.5 | -2.1 |
| Grant Williams | 20.0 | 22.1 | 6/3/1 | 7.4/4.0/1.8 | -1.4 |
| Luke Kornet | 24.0 | 21.1 | 10/8/1 | 6.7/6.2/1.8 | +3.3 |
Vic Goes Full All-NBA Mode
Look, I'm not a Spurs guy. I bleed green, and the Celtics own enough San Antonio memories that I'd rather not think about it. But Victor Wembanyama last night? That's the dude the league needs to respect when rankings come out.
74.4 Yahoo points on 32/12/8/2/4. This wasn't him putting up empty stats either. 13-24 from the field, 5 threes, legitimately efficient basketball. He exceeded his season average by 7.7 points, which matters because we're talking about an All-Defensive First Team pick who was already dropping 24 a night.
The assists jumped to 8 compared to his 3.0 season average. The blocks were healthy. This is the 2024-25 All-NBA Third Team guy reminding everyone why he's got that designation. If you have him, you ride or die. If you're looking to trade for him, the price just went up. Again.
Charlotte Threw Bodies at It and It Almost Worked
Here's what's wild about Charlotte: they lost by 13, and four different guys went off. LaMelo Ball wasn't himself (17 points on 6-13 shooting, limited to 21 minutes), but Miles Bridges put up 22 on solid efficiency (8-16, 4 threes), Coby White added 18, and Kon Knueppel went for 20. That's 76 points from four dudes. In a losing effort.
The problem? Depth turned into a negative. Too many mouths to feed meant nobody got into a rhythm. Brandon Miller completely bricked it (6 points on 2-14 shooting, down 14.4 from his season average), and that matters when you're relying on offensive firepower to keep pace with Wembanyama.
LaMelo's game is worth monitoring though. He only played 21 minutes and was down 5.1 points from his season average. That's not load management, that's concerning. If Charlotte's back-to-back or dealing with something, he's about to drop in value.
The Waiver Wire Takeaway
Harrison Barnes got added league-wide, and I get why, but pump the brakes. 2 points on 0-3 shooting. He's been inconsistent all year at 10.2 PPG, and one trash game won't change that. He's still rostered in only 5.6% of leagues. Smash and grab opportunity if you need depth, but don't think you've found a gem.
The real add? Luke Kornet quietly put up 74.4 efficiency (10 points, 8 boards, perfect 4-4 from the field). He's getting minutes alongside Wembanyama and cleaning up around the rim. Nobody's talking about him, but at 0 ownership in most leagues, he's worth a spot on your bench if you need a punt-FG% big who boards.
The Hornets Ownership Play
LaMelo Ball sits at 99.2% ownership, so basically, everyone's got him. That's fine for fantasy purposes, he's still a top-tier talent. But if you're in a league where you can move him after a bad shooting night, don't. One game doesn't change his ceiling. The assists were down (2 vs 7.1 avg), the minutes restriction is the story here, not the performance.
Bottom Line
San Antonio just reminded everyone that Wembanyama isn't hype, he's a legit cornerstone. Charlotte has pieces but needs more consistency. If you have Wembanyama, you're sleeping fine tonight. If you have some of Charlotte's guards, don't panic yet, but don't ignore the lack of role clarity either.