HOU 140, UTA 106: Williams Stars With 44.2 Yahoo FP
Tyler Okonkwo
Student & Retail Associate ยท Houston Rockets fan
Rockets Demolish Jazz 140-106: Cody Williams Goes Off But Houston's Balance Is The Real Story
Tyler here. Home game against Utah and we're talking about a 34-point beatdown. Yeah, I'm hyped. But more importantly, this game showed exactly why the Rockets are scary right now, and it's not just because one guy went nuclear.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room first.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Williams | 43.0 | 44.2 | 27/11/4 | 8.5/2.9/1.8 | +18.5 |
| Kevin Durant | 49.0 | 43.0 | 25/5/6 | 25.8/5.4/4.7 | -0.8 |
| Amen Thompson | 44.0 | 41.6 | 21/8/4 | 17.9/7.8/5.3 | +3.1 |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | 32.0 | 32.5 | 15/10/1 | 6.5/5.6/1.0 | +8.5 |
| Ace Bailey | 32.0 | 31.7 | 22/6/1 | 13.6/4.1/1.8 | +8.4 |
| Kyle Filipowski | 32.0 | 31.4 | 17/7/2 | 11.3/7.1/2.5 | +5.7 |
| Reed Sheppard | 38.0 | 30.9 | 12/2/7 | 13.6/2.9/3.5 | -1.6 |
| Alperen Sengun | 28.0 | 28.3 | 19/4/5 | 20.6/8.9/6.2 | -1.6 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | 24.0 | 28.1 | 20/3/5 | 14.6/3.1/1.8 | +5.4 |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | 25.0 | 26.0 | 18/5/0 | 15.6/6.9/1.9 | +2.4 |
Cody Williams Had A Day
Cody Williams went for 27/11/4 on 10-16 shooting. That's 44.2 Yahoo points and it's +18.5 above his season average. The kid was unstoppable in the paint, and Utah's defense honestly had no answer. But here's the thing, and I mean this respectfully to jazz fans: he's averaging 8.5 points per season. One huge game doesn't make him a league-winner.
That said, if you're in a deep league and you've got bench spots open, Williams is worth watching. He had 21 minutes tonight and clearly got into a rhythm. The question is whether this was Utah getting cooked or if he's turned a corner. I'm leaning toward the former, but we'll see.
Kevin Durant Did His Job
Kevin Durant put up 25/5/6 on efficient shooting (8-12 FG, 7-8 FT). Yeah, he was basically at his season average, which might seem underwhelming in a 34-point blowout, but that's actually the point. KD doesn't need to go off when the Rockets are rolling. He got his buckets cleanly, moved the ball, and didn't force anything. That's All-NBA shit. He's locked in as a fantasy anchor and tonight proved it.
The Real Story: Depth Is Scary
Amen Thompson (21/8/4, 41.6 Yahoo FP) was active and efficient. Reed Sheppard went 4-10 but buried 4 threes, getting 30.9 Yahoo points despite only scoring 12. Alperen Sengun had 19/4/5 even though he was clearly not needed much (27 minutes). Jabari Smith Jr. chipped in 18/5 on 4 threes in limited time.
This is the thing about the Rockets that scares me as a fan but should excite their fantasy guys: they have six or seven guys who can give you 15-20 points on any given night. When you're up 34, everybody eats. But in close games, the minutes get murky and inconsistent. That's the warning flag.
If you own any Rocket besides Durant, lock in those minutes watched this week. We need to know who gets time when it matters.
Ace Bailey's Getting Minutes But The Ceiling Is Real
Ace Bailey looked solid with 22/6 for Utah, +8.4 above his average. He's getting looks and clearly has talent. But before anyone adds him league-wide, remember he plays for a team that just got blown out by 34. Utah's offense isn't running clean right now. Bailey's a talented player on a struggling team, which means volume-based fantasy success is hard to predict.
That said, he's hitting shots and if Utah gets right, he could be a waiver wire grab. Just don't chase him too hard.
What You Should Do
Hold your Rockets guys with confidence. Durant is a set-and-forget anchor. Thompson is a legit second option with upside. Even Sengun has a high floor in this system. Depth is great for you when it clicks like this.
Don't panic trade anyone. Blowouts mess with perception. One bad game doesn't mean anything, and one great game from a bench guy doesn't make him essential.
Watch Utah's next game closely. With their main guys like Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler sitting tonight, we have no idea how this roster actually works. That makes targeting Jazz players premature right now.
One more thing: my squad was sweating early in the season but our Durant pick looks better every week. Sometimes the obvious play is the right one.