MIL 125, BKN 108: AJ Green Pours In 35 Points
Sarah Kowalski
Orthopedic Nurse · Milwaukee Bucks fan
The Bucks Showed Up, But Where Was Everyone Else?
Look, I'm a Bucks fan, so I'm gonna be straight with you. That 125-108 win over Brooklyn felt good, but it also felt weird. Because on a night where we needed our All-NBA guy to carry the load, Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play at all. And somehow, we still ran away with it.
That tells you everything about what happened: role players went absolutely nuclear, the Nets' rotation was held together with tape and prayers, and if you had the right deep bench guys in your lineup, you won today.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Green | 71.0 | 53.0 | 35/5/4 | 10.3/2.7/2.0 | +24.7 |
| Malachi Smith | 55.0 | 43.6 | 19/8/10 | 8.3/3.3/3.1 | +10.7 |
| Taurean Prince | 43.0 | 38.5 | 18/10/5 | 9.0/3.0/1.8 | +9.0 |
| Myles Turner | 45.0 | 38.5 | 13/5/3 | 11.9/5.3/1.5 | +1.1 |
| Cormac Ryan | 45.0 | 38.5 | 28/5/3 | 13.5/1.8/1.5 | +14.5 |
| Jericho Sims | 39.0 | 35.5 | 11/10/3 | 4.8/5.5/1.5 | +6.2 |
| Ousmane Dieng | 30.0 | 33.2 | 12/6/12 | 7.5/3.1/2.3 | +4.5 |
| Jalen Wilson | 36.0 | 32.9 | 13/7/7 | 6.3/2.0/0.9 | +6.7 |
| Tyson Etienne | 35.0 | 29.8 | 23/4/2 | 7.3/1.1/1.6 | +15.7 |
| Nolan Traore | 29.0 | 29.8 | 14/4/0 | 8.9/1.8/3.8 | +5.1 |
AJ Green Put on a Clinic
AJ Green absolutely cooked tonight. 35 points on 11-18 shooting with 11 threes? That's not a typo. That's a guy who showed up and said "I'm the offense tonight." He dropped 53 Yahoo FP in 41 minutes, crushing his season average by nearly 25 points per game.
Here's the thing though, and I'm gonna be real because that's what you hired me for, this is exactly the kind of game where you don't panic-add someone. Green went off because the Nets' defense was non-existent and the Bucks built a lead early. In a normal game where the opponent doesn't have half their rotation out, this performance doesn't happen. He's a solid fantasy piece, but don't suddenly think he's a league-winner. He's a 10.3 PPG guy who had the perfect storm tonight.
The Bench Carried the Bucks
Without Giannis, without Kevin Porter Jr., without Bobby Portis and half the rotation, the Bucks' depth went to work. Cormac Ryan dropped 28 points on 10-17 shooting with five threes. Taurean Prince went 6-13 from three and grabbed 10 boards. Myles Turner was efficient with 13 and 5. Jericho Sims put up 11/10/3 with clean hands.
This is the nightmare scenario for fantasy. These guys aren't your usual fantasy contributors. If you're in a deep league, you might have had one or two of them. But they combined to outscore Brooklyn's entire game plan. Ousmane Dieng even chipped in 12 with 12 assists from the bench. That's +9.7 assists versus his season average in 37 minutes.
The reality: This is probably the ceiling for most of these guys. Don't go hunting for Cormac Ryan on waivers thinking he found his role. This was a "everyone's available and someone has to score" night.
Nets Tried, Didn't Have Enough
On the Brooklyn side, Malachi Smith was the only bright spot with 19/8/10 on good shooting. He's a real talent and showed why he warrants roster looks in deeper leagues, especially with the injuries piling up around him.
Tyson Etienne went 6-12 from three and scored 23, crushing his 7.3 PPG average by 15+ points. Again, another "perfect matchup" night. Jalen Wilson chipped in 13/7/7, which is good depth production, and Nolan Traore got 14 in limited minutes.
But here's what I noticed from an injury angle: Nic Claxton didn't play. That's concerning if you're a Nets fantasy player, because Claxton is one of their anchors. Same with the absence of Michael Porter Jr. (24.2 PPG guy just gone), Noah Clowney (12.3 PPG), and Egor Dëmin (10.3 PPG). The Nets were running a skeleton crew out there.
The Ownership Puzzle
I'm watching the waiver trends and it's funny. Guys are actually dropping Giannis despite him not playing tonight. That's panic, pure panic. One absence and people are hitting the eject button on an All-NBA first teamer. Don't do that. If you own Giannis, hold him. If you're thinking about dropping him, you're playing fantasy wrong.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo got added by 0.0% because he barely saw the court. That's not a waiver target.
The real adds to watch league-wide are Ace Bailey (up 0.9% ownership), Precious Achiuwa (up 0.8%), and Grayson Allen (up 0.4%). Those are guys whose teams are healthy and they're finding roles. That matters more than one blowout performance.
What Actually Matters Now
If you're in a league where the Nets' missing pieces are coming back soon, don't panic sell their healthy guys. If you're in a league where the Bucks' rotation stays this thin, that's a different story, but I'm guessing this was a one-game thing.
Grab a ride-or-die on waivers, not a hot hand. That's how you win fantasy leagues, not by chasing one good night.