CHI 132, MEM 107: Giddey Has Monster Night: 67 ESPN FP
Marcus Thompson Jr.
Fire Lieutenant ยท Golden State Warriors fan
Bulls Blow Out Grizzlies 132-107: Giddey's Triple-Double Saves Your Week
The Chicago Bulls just put on a clinic against Memphis, and if you had Josh Giddey in your lineup, you're feeling pretty good right now. The Grizzlies came in shorthanded and got absolutely buried, but the real fantasy story here is how the Bulls' bench stepped up when their stars were supposed to carry the load.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Giddey | 67.0 | 60.5 | 16/15/13 | 17.9/8.6/8.9 | -1.9 |
| Matas Buzelis | 55.0 | 46.9 | 29/7/1 | 16.1/5.6/2.1 | +12.9 |
| Tre Jones | 41.0 | 36.5 | 17/5/5 | 12.9/2.9/5.5 | +4.1 |
| Rob Dillingham | 30.0 | 28.2 | 15/1/4 | 4.8/1.8/2.2 | +10.2 |
| Leonard Miller | 29.0 | 25.9 | 10/7/1 | 4.8/2.7/0.6 | +5.2 |
| Cam Spencer | 30.0 | 25.7 | 12/1/7 | 11.4/2.6/5.5 | +0.6 |
| Cedric Coward | 29.0 | 25.5 | 17/0/5 | 13.3/6.2/2.8 | +3.7 |
| Walter Clayton Jr. | 27.0 | 24.9 | 12/2/7 | 7.2/2.0/3.9 | +4.8 |
| Taylor Hendricks | 28.0 | 24.6 | 16/3/0 | 7.0/3.6/0.9 | +9.0 |
| Tyler Burton | 20.0 | 23.1 | 8/8/1 | 5.0/4.7/0.7 | +3.0 |
Giddey Does What Giddey Does
Look, Josh Giddey put up a 16/15/13 triple-double and hit his free throws. That's a 60.5 Yahoo FP night, and honestly, he was right in line with his season average (he's averaging 17.9/8.6/8.9). The dude is consistent as they come, which is exactly what you want from a guy you drafted middle rounds. The efficiency was clean on 6-12 shooting, and he didn't turn the ball over, which matters when you're running the offense in a blowout.
Matas Buzelis Just Went Supernova
Now here's the real headline. Matas Buzelis went absolutely nuclear for 29 points on 12-22 shooting, and this is the kind of performance that gets fantasy managers' attention. He's been averaging 16.1 PPG this season, and he dropped 12.9 above that mark tonight. Five threes, 31 minutes, and he was efficient as hell. This wasn't a case of chucking to pad stats. He was 5-5 from deep at one point. The question is whether this is the breakout game or a flash in the pan.
Here's the thing, though. The Grizzlies were absolutely gutted on the injury front tonight. That's a home court advantage for a secondary scoring option. Buzelis is still averaging less than 5.6 rebounds per game on the season, and tonight he grabbed 7. That's depth chart dependent. If the Grizzlies get healthy and the Bulls need him less, you're looking at a regression. For now, he's worth monitoring in 12-team leagues, but I wouldn't go crazy adding him yet. See if he gets consistent volume over the next few games.
Tre Jones Is Your New Bull
Tre Jones put up 36.5 Yahoo FP on a clean 7-12 shooting night, hitting a three and playing solid minutes (27). He's averaging 12.9/2.9/5.5 on the season and came in +4.1 across the board tonight. This feels sustainable to me. Jones has always been a solid role player, and against a decimated Grizzlies team, he got his looks. The steals (2) and lack of turnovers kept the score tidy. If you need a cheap guard in PPR leagues, he's worth a waiver wire look in competitive formats.
The Deep Bench Guys Had a Night
Rob Dillingham (15 points, 3 threes, +10.2 vs average) and Leonard Miller (10/7 with a couple threes, +5.2 vs average) both benefited from the blowout script. When a game gets out of hand, rotation players get minutes and opportunities. Dillingham shot 6-15, so he forced some looks, but three threes in 26 minutes is the kind of volume that gets you added. Leonard Miller pulled down 7 boards in limited action and stayed efficient. Neither of these guys are staples of the rotation under normal circumstances, so I'd pump the brakes before you burn a waiver claim. They're valuable tonight because Memphis came in absolutely short-handed.
Memphis Got Cooked (And Not by Their Usual Guys)
The Grizzlies had basically their entire rotation either missing or severely compromised. That's why you're seeing guys like Cam Spencer (12/1/7, 25.7 FP), Cedric Coward (17/0/5, 25.5 FP), and Walter Clayton Jr. (12/2/7, 24.9 FP) showing up in the scoring summary. Spencer went 4-4 from the free throw line, Coward was 7-13 from the field. These are guys filling gaps, not guys who move the needle long-term.
Taylor Hendricks threw up 16 points on 6-11 shooting and added a couple threes. He's +9.0 against his season average, but again, he's playing in a game where Memphis is basically fielding a G-League team at this point. Don't get fooled by the stats sheet here.
The Waiver Wire Reality
Santi Aldama got dropped league-wide for a reason. He didn't see the floor tonight, and when your team gets blown out as badly as Memphis did, that usually means the usual suspects are getting rest. The drop in ownership (down 3.2%) is justified. Move on from him.
On the add side, Rob Dillingham is the only guy I'm actually thinking about in deeper leagues. He's got the shooting touch and he was aggressive tonight. But this is a "see how he looks in the next healthy rotation" kind of add, not a panic button situation.
Bottom Line
Chicago wins convincingly. Giddey was reliable, Buzelis had the kind of explosion that gets fantasy managers texting in the group chat, and the bench got minutes in a blowout. For Memphis, this was an absolute disaster, and almost every fantasy statline you see is inflated by the circumstances. Don't overreact to the Grizzlies guys. They're not suddenly fantasy studs just because they got garbage time minutes in a 25-point loss.
If you had Giddey, you're comfortable. If you're thinking about Buzelis, wait and watch. If you're looking at the Memphis bench, hold your horses until the Grizzlies get healthy. This game tells you exactly what it is: a blowout. Nothing more.