ATL 146, MEM 107: ATL Demolishes MEM, Nickeil Alexander-Walker Shines
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Hawks Blowout the Grizzlies 146-107: NAW Goes Nuclear, But This Game Had Bigger Casualties
Okay, so the Hawks just demolished Memphis at home 146-107, and I'm not even mad about it. I mean, I'm always happy when my team wins like this, but what I'm really here to talk about is how fantasy managers got absolutely played by the Grizzlies' injury report. Let's break down what actually happened.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 53.0 | 40.4 | 26/2/6 | 20.4/3.4/3.7 | +5.6 |
| CJ McCollum | 39.0 | 34.3 | 15/4/9 | 18.6/3.4/3.7 | -3.6 |
| Tyler Burton | 34.0 | 33.1 | 20/8/1 | 10.4/4.9/0.9 | +9.6 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 36.0 | 33.0 | 16/5/2 | 15.5/7.7/3.2 | +0.5 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | 36.0 | 32.6 | 11/8/0 | 10.1/3.9/1.2 | +0.9 |
| Ty Jerome | 34.0 | 31.2 | 17/1/4 | 19.7/2.8/5.7 | -2.7 |
| Jonathan Kuminga | 38.0 | 29.5 | 16/5/3 | 12.5/6.1/2.5 | +3.5 |
| Dyson Daniels | 35.0 | 29.0 | 12/5/4 | 11.8/6.6/5.9 | +0.2 |
| Walter Clayton Jr. | 27.0 | 28.2 | 16/1/6 | 7.3/2.0/3.9 | +8.7 |
| GG Jackson | 27.0 | 25.6 | 26/3/0 | 11.8/4.2/1.4 | +14.2 |
NAW Finally Put It Together
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the star of this show, and I'm genuinely impressed. 26 points on 8-11 shooting with 4 threes? That's the version of NAW we've been waiting on all season. He finished with 40.4 Yahoo FP and that +5.6 scoring bump from his average tells you he was locked in tonight.
Here's the thing though, before anyone goes crazy adding him everywhere, let's be honest about what we're looking at. NAW is 87.5% owned already, so he's not some hidden gem on the waiver wire. What matters is that he's only getting 25 minutes a night on average. That's the ceiling discussion you need to have. In a blowout at home where Atlanta was up big, he got extended run. That doesn't happen every night. He's a solid fantasy option with upside, but he's not suddenly becoming a 35-minute-a-night guy. Lock him in if you have him, but don't go trading depth for him.
The Memphis Situation Was a Fantasy Disaster
Let me be real with you, the Grizzlies showed up to this game without half their team. You had Ja Morant, Scottie Pippen Jr., Santi Aldama, Zach Edey, Cam Spencer, and like five other rotation guys just straight up inactive. That's a lineup that looked like a G-League squad by the second quarter.
GG Jackson tried to carry the load with 26 points on decent efficiency (9-14 FG), and he put up 25.6 Yahoo FP. That's good production, but here's what we learned: when a team gets demolished missing their best players, the score gets inflated for role guys. Jackson's +14.2 from his season average looks wild until you remember he was going up against basically nobody. Don't expect that to sustain.
Tyler Burton was the most interesting fantasy story here though. 20 points, 8 boards, 7-7 from the line. That's 33.1 Yahoo FP and +9.6 from his average. Burton just got heavy run in a blowout, which he always does, but this is a dude who averages 10.4 PPG normally. He's still a bench guy playing meaningful minutes, not a league winner.
Where Atlanta Actually Looked Good
CJ McCollum had that assist night with 9 dimes on just 5-11 shooting. 34.3 Yahoo FP is a solid night even though he was -3.6 on scoring. That's the kind of game where he wasn't hunting shots but was running the offense. He's been all-around useful like that this season.
Dyson Daniels, the reigning All-Defensive First Team guy, was doing Dyson things. 12/5/4/1/1 on 24 minutes. He's got this elite perimeter defense plus solid passing that keeps him fantasy relevant even when his scoring is pedestrian. 29 Yahoo FP is his floor type of game.
Onyeka Okongwu was a little weird tonight. 16 points, 5 boards in just 20 minutes should be huge, but he was only -2.7 from his season average because he usually gets more minutes and grabs way more boards. This was the Hawks not needing him to go full throttle in a blowout. That's fine, but don't read too much into the limited action.
The Real Story for Your Waiver Wire
Santi Aldama was dropped by some people after this game (down 0.6% ownership), but that's a panic move. He didn't even play tonight because Memphis had an injury situation that made him unavailable. The second the Grizzlies get healthy, Aldama's back to his normal role. Don't touch him on the wire yet.
The most interesting add is basically nobody from this game because it was such a lopsided situation. Walter Clayton Jr. had a nice 28.2 Yahoo FP with 16 points and 6 assists on a bunch of three-pointers, but he's also someone who benefits from garbage time in blowouts. He's already widely owned. Not a pickup unless you're in a super deep league.
The Actual Lesson Here
This game is a reminder that blowouts distort fantasy scoring. When you see those +14 and +9.6 scoring bumps from season average, you have to ask yourself if it's sustainable or if it was just a product of getting to play in a game that was decided by halftime. GG Jackson put up monster points, but he's still a 30-minute-a-night guy on a bad team when they're healthy. That's a ceiling, not a floor.
Atlanta's win was clean and convincing, but from a fantasy perspective, the Grizzlies' injury situation made this more about opportunity than talent. Watch how Memphis looks when they get healthy before you panic sell or panic buy anyone from their roster.