BOS 119, OKC 109: Jaylen Brown Goes Off for 53.6 Yahoo FP
Kwame Asante
Junior Accountant ยท Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Boston Finds a Way, but Shai Still the MVP Favourite
Look, I'm going to be straight with you. My Thunder got punched in the mouth last night at the Garden. 109-119. A loss that stings a bit more than most because we had no business playing that poorly against the reigning champs.
But here's the thing about fantasy basketball, yeah? Sometimes the team that loses produces the better fantasy night. And last night was exactly that kind of game.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown | 53.0 | 53.6 | 31/8/8 | 28.6/7.0/5.2 | +2.4 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 64.0 | 51.4 | 33/2/8 | 31.5/4.4/6.6 | +1.5 |
| Jayson Tatum | 52.0 | 50.9 | 19/12/7 | 19.1/9.2/3.7 | -0.1 |
| Neemias Queta | 32.0 | 28.0 | 13/5/2 | 9.9/8.3/1.5 | +3.1 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | 27.0 | 24.0 | 6/5/2 | 9.6/9.5/3.8 | -3.6 |
| Derrick White | 21.0 | 22.4 | 12/2/6 | 17.2/4.5/5.5 | -5.2 |
| Luguentz Dort | 22.0 | 20.0 | 14/5/0 | 8.5/3.8/1.2 | +5.5 |
| Payton Pritchard | 23.0 | 19.9 | 14/2/1 | 16.6/4.0/5.2 | -2.6 |
| Alex Caruso | 17.0 | 19.8 | 9/4/2 | 6.4/2.8/2.0 | +2.6 |
| Baylor Scheierman | 21.0 | 18.5 | 11/5/1 | 4.9/3.5/1.4 | +6.1 |
The Boston Backcourt Put On a Show
Jaylen Brown absolutely went off for 53.6 Yahoo fantasy points. 31 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists on 9-17 shooting, and the man went 12-14 from the line. That's 2.4 points better than his season average on a per-game basis, and frankly, he could've put up more. He was taking what he wanted out there.
Jayson Tatum didn't need to do much heavy lifting since Brown was cooking, but he still put up a solid 50.9 Yahoo FP with 19/12/7 and three steals. Came in basically at his season average, which for a guy of his calibre means he was getting his. The rebounds especially matter, that's 2.8 more than his nightly clip.
Here's what matters for your lineups going forward. Brown is locked in as a nightly fantasy asset. No debate there. But Tatum's value comes from consistency mixed with these efficient nights where he doesn't have to shoulder the entire offensive load. If you've got both, you're probably doing alright in the Celtics department.
Shai Did Everything He Could
Let me be fair here. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, reigning MVP, put up 51.4 Yahoo FP on 33/2/8 with 10-12 shooting. That's the kind of efficient night you want from your franchise player. But here's the frustration, yeah? He had two rebounds. Two. That's 2.4 under his season average, and in a competitive game where every possession matters, his rebounding presence gets nullified.
The real issue wasn't Shai. It was everyone else's availability. Chet Holmgren came in 7.1 points under his average. Isaiah Hartenstein dropped 3.6 under his nightly 9.6 PPG, which is significant when he's supposed to be gobbling up interior production. And Jalen Williams went for a rough 10.1 under his season average. That's a role player not stepping up when your MVP needs help.
Shai will get his. That's never the worry. The worry is whether the supporting cast can show up enough to make playoff pushes viable.
The Role Player Surprises
Lu Dort came off the bench and went absolutely nuclear for 20 Yahoo FP. 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 three-pointers made on 5-9 shooting. That's 5.5 points better than his season average. In 21 minutes. This is the kind of game you want to see from a guy who's been bouncing around in the role player space. If Dort starts getting consistent opportunities like this, he becomes a sneaky waiver grab.
On Boston's side, Payton Pritchard, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, put up 19.9 Yahoo FP with four threes. He came in 2.6 under his average, so not a huge night by his standards, but the three-point volume is always valuable off the bench. Sixth Man of the Year performances don't just disappear.
Baylor Scheierman is worth a look if he's available in your league. 18.5 Yahoo FP on 11 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes. That's 6.1 over his season average. Rookie numbers, but the efficiency was there.
The Guys Who Disappeared
Derrick White shot 3-11 and finished 5.2 points under his average. For an All-Defensive Second Team selection, that's not the kind of production Boston needs if they're chasing in the East. He'll bounce back, but that was a stinker.
Alex Caruso put up solid defensive stats, 1 steal in limited minutes, but finished at 19.8 Yahoo FP. Nothing to write home about when he's usually around 6.4 PPG average. Limited touches meant limited upside.
The Playoff Picture Matters Now
This loss stings for OKC. We're in late March, and close games like this one separate contenders from pretenders. The Celtics get the win at home and keep rolling. The Thunder take an L and have to regroup.
From a fantasy standpoint, Boston's Big Two (Brown and Tatum) proved they can co-exist and produce massive nights. OKC's supporting cast showed they're not quite locked in yet, and that concerns me as someone who watches every Thunder game at ridiculous hours.
If you've got both Shai and either of the Boston guards, you've had a solid season. The question is whether Shai's supporting cast figures it out before the playoffs. That's what I'm watching for the rest of March.