NOP 105, LAC 99: Saddiq Bey Notches 39.2 Yahoo FP
Hiro Tanaka
Physical Therapy Assistant ยท Los Angeles Lakers fan
Pelicans Survive Clippers In Defensive Grind, Surprise Role Players Steal The Show
New Orleans pulled out a 105-99 defensive slugfest against LA, and here's what actually matters for your roster: this game was decided by role players nobody drafted, not your studs. Both teams looked sluggish, but the Pelicans' bench depth won the day.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saddiq Bey | 46.0 | 39.2 | 20/6/6 | 17.3/5.7/2.5 | +2.7 |
| Trey Murphy III | 40.0 | 36.0 | 27/5/2 | 21.9/5.7/3.9 | +5.1 |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | 38.0 | 33.3 | 22/4/3 | 10.8/3.1/1.3 | +11.2 |
| Jordan Miller | 25.0 | 31.1 | 11/8/5 | 9.7/3.0/2.1 | +1.3 |
| Zion Williamson | 33.0 | 31.0 | 15/5/2 | 21.4/5.8/3.3 | -6.4 |
| Yves Missi | 30.0 | 29.2 | 11/11/4 | 5.5/5.6/1.2 | +5.5 |
| John Collins | 27.0 | 29.1 | 18/8/1 | 13.7/5.2/1.0 | +4.3 |
| Kris Dunn | 27.0 | 26.9 | 8/7/3 | 7.7/3.3/3.6 | +0.3 |
| Isaiah Jackson | 26.0 | 24.7 | 13/6/1 | 6.5/5.3/0.9 | +6.5 |
| Herbert Jones | 24.0 | 22.6 | 11/3/2 | 8.9/3.6/2.8 | +2.1 |
The Pelicans' Depth Did The Heavy Lifting
Trey Murphy III went off for 36 Yahoo FP, putting up 27 points on efficient 9-17 shooting. That's exactly what you want from him, +5.1 vs his season average. He won't put up 27 every night, but this is the ceiling for Murphy when the shots are falling. Lock him in as a reliable contributor for playoff pushes.
Saddiq Bey also balled out with 39.2 Yahoo FP and 6 assists, which is way above his season average. The dude was +2.7 in scoring and found teammates. If he's on your wire, grab him in 12-team leagues minimum. He's been underrated all season, and games like this prove he can go off any night.
The real story though? Yves Missi went 5-5 from the field with 11 boards in just 27 minutes. That's 29.2 Yahoo FP off the bench, massive +5.5 and +5.4 rebounding advantage vs his average. Missi has been a sneaky asset this whole season for guys who picked him late. He's only averaging 5.5 boards normally, so this was a statement performance. If he's free in your league, he's worth stashing for playoff depth.
Jordan Miller had an interesting game off the bench for LA. 31.1 Yahoo FP on 11 points and 8 boards is weird efficiency, but it worked. Dude was 7-11 from the line while shooting 2-8 from the field, so he lived at the line and got to the glass. This feels like a dead cat unless his role expands, so I wouldn't chase him.
Where Your Stars Went Sideways
Zion Williamson was the biggest disappointment here. 31 Yahoo FP on 15 points and 5 boards is fine, but he's averaging 21.4 PPG normally, so this was a -6.4 night for him. Only 33 minutes too, which is interesting. I'm not panicking because one game doesn't trend, but if Zion keeps hitting the low 30s in fantasy scoring, we need to check if something's lingering physically. That's my PT background talking, but low-volume games mixed with reduced minutes can signal pain management.
Derrick Jones Jr. was the Clippers' best player by a wide margin with 33.3 Yahoo FP, but here's the thing: he averaged only 10.8 PPG this season. Tonight was +11.2 in scoring, which is an absolute outlier. That's not sustainable. Great night, but don't trade for DJ Jr thinking this is the new baseline. This was him in flow state for one game.
Missing Players Hurt The Clippers Bad
LA was way too thin. Kawhi Leonard, Bennedict Mathurin, Darius Garland all no-shows. That's three rotation guys gone, so the Clippers had to lean on John Collins (29.1 Yahoo FP, 18 points) and Kris Dunn (26.9 Yahoo FP, solid defense) to carry the load. They tried, but depth beat star power tonight. This loss screams "wait for full health before making trades."
Isaiah Jackson out of nowhere popped for 24.7 Yahoo FP on 13 points in 19 minutes. That's a sneaky efficient game that nobody saw coming, especially with the Clippers shorthanded. Probably just noise, but if Jackson starts getting real rotation minutes, he's a deep league guy to watch.
The Bottom Line
New Orleans proved their depth is legit. If you own Murphy or Bey, you're feeling good. If you've got Zion or needed a Collins game, you're slightly concerned about consistency. The Clippers' injury situation needs resolution before we draw playoff roster conclusions. That's the whole story.