DEN 125, PHX 123: Nikola Jokić Leads Offensive Explosion With 70 ESPN FP
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Jasmine "Jazz" Porter
University Student · Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Jokic's Triple-Double Seals Another Close One, But Royce O'Neale Might Be Your Biggest Fantasy Winner
Denver walks out of Phoenix with a 125-123 win, and honestly, this game had everything you want in fantasy terms: drama, role clarity, and some players quietly positioning themselves as sneaky pickups heading into the final stretch.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Jokić | 70.0 | 66.9 | 23/17/17 | 27.9/12.7/10.7 | -4.9 |
| Royce O'Neale | 51.0 | 39.5 | 17/5/3 | 10.0/4.8/2.8 | +7.0 |
| Devin Booker | 36.0 | 37.6 | 22/3/8 | 25.5/3.9/5.9 | -3.5 |
| Jalen Green | 35.0 | 35.2 | 21/6/6 | 17.7/3.6/2.9 | +3.3 |
| Grayson Allen | 38.0 | 34.5 | 21/5/3 | 17.3/3.0/4.1 | +3.7 |
| Jamal Murray | 33.0 | 32.2 | 21/1/6 | 25.0/4.3/7.1 | -4.0 |
| Oso Ighodaro | 28.0 | 26.7 | 15/6/1 | 6.4/4.9/2.2 | +8.6 |
| Cameron Johnson | 30.0 | 26.6 | 14/3/2 | 11.9/3.7/2.3 | +2.1 |
| Aaron Gordon | 21.0 | 25.7 | 16/6/3 | 16.6/5.9/2.5 | -0.6 |
| Bruce Brown | 26.0 | 25.3 | 9/9/3 | 7.7/3.9/2.1 | +1.3 |
The MVP Just Does MVP Things
Nikola Jokic dropped 66.9 Yahoo points on a near-perfect 23/17/17 stat line. Yeah, he was a bit down on scoring compared to his season average, but that triple-double with 9 boards and 17 dimes is exactly what you're paying reigning MVP money for. The man had 35 minutes and controlled the entire game. This is baseline, reliable production from Jokic. Not flashy tonight, just efficient and dominant. If you have him, you're used to this. If you don't, well, you already know that ship has sailed for the season.
Royce O'Neale Just Became Must-Add Territory
Here's the actual story nobody's talking about yet: Royce O'Neale went off for 39.5 Yahoo points, crushing his season average by 7 points. He's sitting at just 41.3% ESPN ownership and was actually being dropped after this game (down 0.8%). That's wild because he dropped 5 threes on 5 attempts, added the defensive stats (1 steal, 3 blocks), and played 28 minutes with intention. The Suns clearly trusted him in crunch time. If you're in a 12-team or deeper league and haven't grabbed him, look at adding him right now. Role clarity matters more than name recognition in fantasy, and O'Neale's got both going right now.
The Booker Paradox
Devin Booker put up 22 points on 11 free throws and got 37 minutes. On paper, 37.6 Yahoo points feels decent. But he's an All-NBA guy averaging 25.5 points normally, and he was 5-14 from the field tonight. This is a down game for him despite the volume. If you're holding him, you're not panicking because it's one game and he went 11-13 from the line, which is an outlier. But if you're thinking about moving him in a trade, this might be the window before he bounces back. Phoenix got beat, and Book didn't have his full game tonight. Contextually, it matters.
Jalen Green Keeps Trending Up
Jalen Green continues doing Jalen Green things: scoring efficiently off the bench. 35.2 Yahoo points on 6-13 shooting with 3 threes and 6 assists shows a player who's expanding his game. He's now +3.3 from his season average, which is consistent positive regression. In deeper formats, he's becoming more reliable. Don't reach for him, but he's a solid streamer and role player to keep on your radar if bench production is your weakness.
Grayson Allen's Minutes Concern
Grayson Allen went 8-19 from the field with 5 threes for 34.5 Yahoo points, but here's the thing: he played only 23 minutes. That's not a ton of runway, and the fact he's being dropped post-game (dropping 0.8% ownership) tells me the market's already moved on. In Phoenix's system, he's a volume three-point shooter, but minutes are inconsistent. He's a GPP play or a deep league stash, not a weekly starter. Pass unless your league is 16+ teams.
Jamal Murray's Quiet Night
Jamal Murray had a weird one: 21 points but only 1 rebound and 6 assists on 37 minutes. For a point guard who's All-NBA, that's a down line, especially the rebounding. He's 4 points below his season average and lost assists compared to normal. Denver won anyway because Jokic was Jokic, but if you're thinking about selling Murray before a playoff push, this is a game where his role felt limited. One game, so no panic. But worth monitoring.
Oso Ighodaro Is the Bench Surprise
Oso Ighodaro went 6-7 from the field for 15 points and 6 boards in 33 minutes, crushing his season average by 8.6 points. He's not someone you're getting off waivers anymore, but if he's available in your league, that's a massive oversight. He's backing up the Suns' center rotation and getting real minutes now. Grab him in leagues where he's still available.
The Bottom Line
This was a one-point game that came down to execution, and from a fantasy perspective, the clear winners are anyone holding Jokic and anyone who can grab O'Neale before the wire gets flooded. Denver's role players (Aaron Gordon with a quiet 25.7, Tim Hardaway Jr. with 24.6) came through when needed, which is sustainable because that's what they do.
Phoenix's bench showed up (shoutout Bruce Brown getting 25.3 Yahoo points off the Nuggets bench with 9 boards), but Book and the guards didn't fire on all cylinders. It's a 2-point loss, which means a healthy bit of variance was involved. Don't overreact to one game, but do use this as a window to catch O'Neale before everyone else does. That's your move this week.