PHI 118, CHA 114: George Powers PHI Past CHA

76ers Steal One in Charlotte: Paul George's Takeover Masks a Deeper Problem

The 76ers won this 118-114, but let me be honest, that scoreline feels closer than it should've been. Paul George went absolutely off for 56.6 Yahoo FP, carrying Philly across the finish line. Meanwhile, Brandon Miller nearly willed Charlotte back into it with 38.6 Yahoo FP. Close games are fun for highlights. They're less fun for your fantasy roster.

Paul George Finally Showed Up (and Stayed)

Look, I'm not getting carried away here. Paul George is still Paul George, meaning he's been a frustrating fantasy asset all season at 16.7 PPG. But a +9.3 performance like this, 26 points on 9-19 shooting with 13 rebounds and 4 steals in 36 minutes, that's the ceiling we drafted him for.

The rebounds especially caught me off guard. 13 boards from a wing in a close game feels like vintage playoff intensity, which, fine, maybe that's the message: when stakes matter, PG13 remembers how to play. Is it sustainable? Probably not on the 13-rebound front. But if he's getting 26+ PPG with top-tier defence (4 steals), that's a starter you can feel good about.

The Maxey Mystery Deepens

Tyrese Maxey put up 49.4 Yahoo FP (26/7/8, 10-18 FG) but came in 2.9 points below his season average. That's the thing about Maxey this year: he's All-NBA-caliber on most nights, yet somehow he keeps underperforming expectations. 26 and 8 assists should feel like a monster game. Instead, it feels like "well, he was fine."

The issue? He's shooting 55% from the field tonight but only handing out assists at a 0.19 per-minute pace. For a guy averaging 6.7 APG, that's a notch down. Against a Hornets team that isn't exactly a defensive fortress, you want more playmaking from your All-NBA point guard. He's still a must-start, but this game showed the ceiling is getting lower, not higher.

Brandon Miller Is a Problem for Opponents (and Good News for Your Bench)

Brandon Miller scored 29 points on 8-17 shooting with 5 threes and 8 rebounds. That's a +8.5 night, putting him at 38.6 Yahoo FP. The efficiency here is real: 47% FG, 50% from three, he wasn't forcing anything.

If you're holding Miller in 14+ team leagues, this is the version you hope for every night. He's got the talent, he's got the usage (34 minutes), and tonight he had the shot-making. The issue is consistency. He swung from 20.5 PPG average to 29 because he hit his threes and didn't turn the ball over. One game doesn't trend reset his value, but it's a reminder he can win you weeks when he gets hot.

Charlotte's Rebounding Lifeline

Moussa Diabaté grabbed 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of work, hitting 4-7 from the field for 28.2 Yahoo FP. That's your deep league stash right there. When Embiid was on the floor, Charlotte needed someone to crash the glass, and Diabaté was that guy.

The problem is playing time consistency. 24 minutes is fine for a night, but Charlotte's rotation is murky. You can't bank on him hitting that floor time every game. Watch the trends over the next week. If he keeps getting 20-25 minutes, he's a league-winner in 16+ team formats. If it dips to 15, he's back on the wire.

The Hornets' Perimeter Shooting Was Ugly (Except When It Wasn't)

LaMelo Ball finished at 36.6 Yahoo FP on 20/3/8, which is solid on the surface. But here's the real number you need: 7-26 FG. That's 27% shooting. He hit five threes, which saved the night, but he took 11 two-point attempts and made exactly two of them.

For context, his season average is 19.7 PPG. So tonight he exceeded that by 0.3 points. Nothing to write home about, despite the assist total keeping it respectable. This is peak LaMelo inconsistency: some nights he's your fantasy workhorse, other nights he's launching 26 shots and making nothing stick. He's also 99.4% owned, so this isn't a discovery moment. But it's a reminder why he can feel like a trap game sometimes.

Kon Knueppel is the real story here. He played 36 minutes (36!) and shot 3-14 for 11 points. That's a -8.0 against his season average. For a wing who should be spacing the floor, this was a complete clank job. If he's on your bench, don't panic yet. But if he's eating rotation minutes like this, you need to see better shot-making.

The Ownership Shift That Matters

Dominick Barlow came in at +0.1% ownership (2.6% owned), which is basically nothing. But he played 15 minutes off the Philly bench and hit 1-1. This isn't a hot add. He's a deep, deep bench piece getting trash-time minutes. Ignore.

The real league-wide adds that matter are Precious Achiuwa (+4.1% to 36.7%), Grayson Allen (+3.2% to 44.9%), and Jarrett Allen (+0.7% to 83.2%). None of these came from this game, but Achiuwa's jump suggests something's shifting in Sacramento. Keep an eye on that situation separately.

The Bottom Line

The 76ers are still frustrating to watch as a fantasy team. They've got three All-NBA calibre players (Embiid, Maxey, and tonight Paul George), yet they're fighting for every possession against a Hornets team that should be easier pickings. That said, a win is a win, and if George's performance tonight signals he's turning a corner as a fantasy asset, that's real.

For Charlotte, Miller gave you exactly what his upside suggests he can do. If this becomes his floor going forward, he's a starting conversation in 12-team leagues. Diabaté is the waiver wire story, but you need to see it happen twice more before you're confident.

The Thunder play tomorrow morning (3am UK time, absolutely buzzing), but that's a story for another day. Tonight belonged to the 76ers, barely.