CHA 124, MEM 101: LaMelo Ball Leads CHA Rout
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student · Dallas Mavericks fan
LaMelo Went Off and the Hornets Cruised, But the Real Fantasy Story Is Uglier Than the Final Score
Charlotte 124, Memphis 101
Look, the Hornets won by 23 and it felt like a lot more. This wasn't close, and if you had LaMelo Ball on your team, you cashed. If you didn't, well, you saw what you missed. Let me break down what actually mattered for your roster.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaMelo Ball | 55.0 | 47.6 | 29/3/4 | 19.7/4.8/7.1 | +9.3 |
| Moussa Diabaté | 40.0 | 38.3 | 11/14/3 | 8.0/8.7/1.9 | +3.0 |
| Brandon Miller | 41.0 | 33.5 | 22/5/3 | 20.4/5.0/3.5 | +1.6 |
| Taylor Hendricks | 41.0 | 32.9 | 14/2/3 | 7.3/3.6/1.0 | +6.7 |
| Javon Small | 29.0 | 27.9 | 17/7/3 | 9.2/3.2/3.7 | +7.8 |
| Coby White | 21.0 | 27.1 | 12/8/7 | 17.6/3.6/4.5 | -5.6 |
| GG Jackson | 23.0 | 24.1 | 19/3/1 | 11.5/4.3/1.4 | +7.5 |
| Walter Clayton Jr. | 27.0 | 23.8 | 11/4/2 | 7.2/2.0/3.8 | +3.8 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | 19.0 | 21.9 | 10/7/1 | 8.9/3.4/1.0 | +1.1 |
| Miles Bridges | 23.0 | 21.3 | 13/4/1 | 17.3/5.8/3.3 | -4.3 |
The LaMelo Show
LaMelo Ball dropped 29 points on 9-19 shooting with seven threes and went absolutely nuclear in the second half. 47.6 Yahoo fantasy points is the kind of night that wins you a week outright, especially when he added three steals and decent assist numbers (4 dimes). The +9.3 pts vs season average says it all: this was an elite performance, not just a good one.
Here's what matters though. LaMelo is already owned in 99.3% of leagues, so unless you somehow still don't have him, you already knew what you had. But what this game showed is that when he gets hot from three, he's a legitimate MVP candidate on any given night. He hit 7 threes, which is way above his norm. If you're in a league where someone stupidly dropped him, that's a wire add no question, but realistically he's not sitting on any wire worth mentioning.
The Hornets Role Players Actually Showed Up
This is the interesting part. Moussa Diabaté was basically perfect. 5-6 from the field, 11 points, 14 rebounds in 32 minutes. That's 38.3 Yahoo FP and a +3.0 over his season average. More importantly, he's a role player who doesn't get a ton of usage, so when he plays this efficiently, you take notice. If you're streaming centers or looking for boards, Diabaté's the type of guy who quietly racks up 10-12 rebounds on any given night if his opportunities stay consistent.
Brandon Miller did his thing with 22 points and five threes on solid shooting (8-12 FG). He didn't explode vs season average (+1.6), but he was reliable and efficient. This is just Brandon Miller basketball at this point.
The real shock? Coby White completely disappeared. 12 points on 4-11 shooting with 7 assists in 19 minutes, and he's STILL pulling 27.1 Yahoo FP because of the assist bump. But that's -5.6 vs his season average, and his shooting was rough. If there's any Hornets player raising concerns, it's Coby's efficiency lately. He went from a solid mid-tier fantasy asset to someone who can have a clunker any night.
The Grizzlies Stepped Up (But Still Lost)
The Hornets defense was suffocating, but the Grizzlies bench actually cooked. Javon Small went for 17 points with three threes and seven boards in 28 minutes, crushing his season average by +7.8 pts. That's the kind of performance that gets you looking at a player's name for the first time, and honestly, in 12-team leagues, Small might be worth a speculative add if he's getting consistent run. He's a score-first guard playing real minutes, which is the fantasy blueprint.
GG Jackson also went off for 19 points on 7-14 shooting with great efficiency. +7.5 over his average is legit production. The Grizzlies' young guys are getting opportunities and some of them are actually taking advantage.
Taylor Hendricks for Memphis had 14 points and three steals on solid shooting. +6.7 vs average is good if this is a trend. Steals are valuable in fantasy, and if Hendricks is consistently playing 24 minutes and providing that production, he's worth monitoring.
But here's the thing: none of this matters because the Grizzlies got absolutely spanked. When you're down 20+ heading into the fourth, even good individual performances feel hollow. This wasn't Memphis showing up. This was Charlotte's defense suffocating them early and the Grizzlies trying to make it respectable late.
The Narrative Nobody's Talking About
Look at the Grizzlies absence report. Ja Morant didn't play. Neither did Santi Aldama, KCP, Scottie Pippen Jr., or a bunch of other key rotation guys. That's basically the blueprint for why Memphis got cooked. When your primary playmaker and shot creator is out, role players scoring 17-19 points doesn't move the needle. This was a shell of the Grizzlies, and the Hornets took full advantage.
For fantasy purposes, watch the Grizzlies injury report like a hawk over the next few games. If Morant and the injured guys come back, all those random dudes who went off tonight go right back to coming off the bench. Javon Small and GG Jackson are fun stories right now, but they're only assets if Memphis is short-handed.
What You Should Actually Do
Add: Anyone still sleeping on Javon Small in 12+ team leagues. He's getting real minutes and can score.
Don't panic on: Coby White. One bad shooting night doesn't derail a guy, but monitor the next two or three games.
Ignore: Every Grizzlies player who went off. The context was totally different. This is what happens when a team is short-handed against a Charlotte team that decided to actually show up.
Keep riding: LaMelo if you have him. This is what elite looks like.