PHI 153, WAS 131: Paul George Stars With 63 Yahoo FP
Maya Chen
UX Designer ยท Golden State Warriors fan
Paul George's 39-Point Eruption Carries 76ers Past Wizards, but the Real Story is Who Else Went Off
The 76ers ran the Wizards off their own court last night, 153-131, and if you had Paul George in your lineup, congratulations, you're about to have the best waiver wire adds conversation in your group chat. But here's the thing, this game was way weirder than the final score suggests. Let me break down what actually happened.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul George | 81.0 | 63.0 | 39/5/6 | 17.5/5.4/3.7 | +21.5 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 52.0 | 44.9 | 28/2/9 | 28.8/4.2/6.8 | -0.8 |
| VJ Edgecombe | 49.0 | 39.6 | 23/3/10 | 16.1/5.6/4.1 | +6.9 |
| Anthony Gill | 49.0 | 37.2 | 21/6/6 | 5.1/2.8/1.2 | +15.9 |
| Justin Champagnie | 38.0 | 34.4 | 17/7/0 | 8.6/5.4/1.2 | +8.4 |
| Andre Drummond | 32.0 | 28.8 | 6/9/4 | 6.4/8.4/1.2 | -0.4 |
| Adem Bona | 36.0 | 28.3 | 13/4/1 | 4.9/4.4/0.4 | +8.1 |
| Bub Carrington | 31.0 | 27.7 | 13/1/7 | 10.2/3.5/4.6 | +2.8 |
| Tristan Vukcevic | 31.0 | 23.4 | 17/2/2 | 9.0/3.0/1.1 | +8.0 |
| Will Riley | 27.0 | 21.7 | 18/1/3 | 9.6/2.6/1.8 | +8.4 |
Paul George Put on a MASTERCLASS
Look at those numbers. Paul George went 15-22 from the field, 6 threes, 39 points in 30 minutes. That's not a good game, that's a "I'm better than everyone on your team" game. He's averaging 17.5 a night, so +21.5 is absolutely cooked territory. The thing that jumped out to me was his efficiency, man. He didn't get there on volume, he got there on pure skill. 15-22 is a 68% clip. That's All-NBA second team performance right there (which, sidebar, he actually made last season, so this tracks).
Here's what I'm thinking: this is probably unsustainable on the scoring side, but Paul George is clearly the closer for this team when it matters. Don't sell high immediately, but if someone panics and offers you a haul for him after one game, remember he's still a 17.5 PPG guy who had an elite offensive night. Don't panic move him.
The Wizards Put Out a Fire Sale Roster and Some Guys Actually Worked
This is where it gets interesting. The Wizards were apparently missing like half their rotation, and you know what happened? Role players got buckets. Anthony Gill put up 21/6/6 on 8-9 shooting. That's a +15.9 vs his season average of 5.1 PPG. Anthony Gill. Let me say that again so it lands right. The guy averages 5 points and dropped 21 with 37.2 Yahoo points.
Justin Champagnie came off the bench with 17/7 on 7-10 shooting, also massively above his 8.6 PPG average. Will Riley had 18/1/3 on efficient shooting. These are classic "garbage time at home" performances that you absolutely cannot trust going forward. I know the waiver wire is lighting up with adds on these guys, but pump the brakes. The Wizards were playing a completely different team composition than normal, and once their real rotation comes back, these numbers dry up faster than my spreadsheet formula breaks.
VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey Did Their Thing
VJ Edgecombe got 32 minutes and put together a solid line, 23/3/10 with 39.6 Yahoo points. He's a volume guy when he gets run, and last night he got it. Tyrese Maxey was his usual self, 28/2/9 on decent efficiency, basically right at his season average. Nothing flashy, just steady. Both are hold-for-sure guys.
The Bench Production Thing
Andre Drummond grabbed 9 boards, Adem Bona was perfect from the field on limited attempts, and the 76ers got contributions from all over. This was a game where the depth showed up. Doesn't tell us much about the future except that Philly's rotation is solid when it's available.
What to Actually Do
Don't get cute adding Anthony Gill or Will Riley or Tristan Vukcevic just because they had monster lines. These are rotation fill-ins getting minutes because Washington was short-handed. Same with Justin Champagnie, though he's a bit more of a real player to watch.
Paul George had an elite night and you probably can't get him now, but if you have him, he's a legit player to build around. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe were good and steady, exactly what you want from them.
The real fantasy story here isn't the 76ers or the Wizards, it's that you can't trust one-off performances from guys getting unexpected playing time. Check your waiver wire adds and make sure you're not chasing a mirage.