DEN 127, OKC 107: Valančiūnas Posts Elite 52.4 Yahoo FP
Kwame Asante
Junior Accountant · Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Thunder Got Absolutely Cooked, But Their Bench Showed Up Anyway
Look, I'm gonna level with you. That was a proper loss for my Thunder, and it stings because Denver just came out and played perfect basketball while OKC's entire star rotation decided to take the night off. But here's the thing, and this is why you keep watching fantasy basketball: the bench went absolutely mental, and that's where the real action is for your lineups.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Valančiūnas | 55.0 | 52.4 | 23/17/4 | 8.4/4.8/1.1 | +14.6 |
| Branden Carlson | 46.0 | 44.9 | 23/12/5 | 4.8/2.6/0.6 | +18.2 |
| Julian Strawther | 45.0 | 39.3 | 22/4/3 | 6.7/1.9/1.0 | +15.3 |
| Nikola Topić | 40.0 | 36.9 | 14/2/11 | 2.5/1.6/2.4 | +11.5 |
| Kenrich Williams | 26.0 | 34.9 | 15/12/1 | 6.2/3.1/1.3 | +8.8 |
| Brooks Barnhizer | 31.0 | 31.8 | 14/9/2 | 1.3/1.8/0.5 | +12.7 |
| Bruce Brown | 31.0 | 30.6 | 10/8/6 | 7.8/3.8/2.0 | +2.2 |
| Aaron Wiggins | 34.0 | 30.1 | 13/3/3 | 9.4/3.1/1.6 | +3.6 |
| David Roddy | 34.0 | 27.4 | 21/2/0 | 1.3/1.7/0.7 | +19.7 |
| Zeke Nnaji | 24.0 | 22.2 | 5/6/2 | 3.6/2.6/0.5 | +1.4 |
Right, so the main story is obvious: where was everyone? Shai, Chet, Jalen, Hartenstein, all sitting with zeros. But I'm not here to mope about injuries or rest nights. What matters for your fantasy team is what actually happened on the court, and Denver had four guys go absolutely bonkers while OKC's depth took the wheel and frankly didn't crash it.
Branden Carlson was the Thunder's bright spot. 23 points on 8-18 shooting, 12 rebounds, 5 assists in 37 minutes. That's +18.2 versus his season average, which is absolutely massive. For context, he's averaging 4.8 points all year. This wasn't just a good night, this was him getting 37 minutes of run in a competitive game and making the most of it. Now here's the crucial part: this doesn't happen if your starters are healthy. But if there's any chance Hartenstein or the main rotation guys stay limited, Carlson's in your waiver conversation for sure.
Nikola Topić with 14 points and 11 assists? That's your point guard stepping up when it matters. 38 minutes played, 4 steals, and he basically carried the playmaking load. 36.9 Yahoo fantasy points on a 2.5/1.6/2.4 season average is the kind of performance that gets people interested, especially if he starts spelling someone in the rotation regularly.
On the Nuggets side, it was the usual suspects except for the bit players who absolutely went off. Jonas Valančiūnas was their anchor with 23/17/4 and 4 steals, 32 minutes of work. He's been sitting at 8.4/4.8 all season, so +14.6 points is genuinely elite. Julian Strawther put up 22 with four threes, and David Roddy went 8-12 from the field for 21 points. That's your deep bench proving why Denver's so dangerous, even without full lineups clicking.
Here's the real takeaway for your leagues: Brooks Barnhizer (14/9/2 on 31 minutes, +12.7 vs avg) and Kenrich Williams (15/12/1, +8.8) both went way above their season norms. But look at those volume shooting numbers for Williams, 7-22 from the field. That's inefficient, and that's not repeatable. Barnhizer's efficiency was solid, but again, this is a deep bench night. Neither of these guys is suddenly a must-add in 12-team leagues.
The real intel here is depth matters, but don't overreact to one game where the starters were out. Aaron Wiggins still put up 13/3/3 with 3 steals on 25 minutes. Jared McCain went 6-11 from three for 15 points. These are role guys doing their jobs when they get extended minutes. That's useful info if you're looking for late-round consistency, but it's not a "sell everything" moment either.
Bottom line: Denver won convincingly with role players stepping up. OKC's bench fought back but couldn't overcome the absences. For your fantasy purposes, grab Carlson off waivers if he's available and your center situation is sketchy. Keep monitoring whether OKC's stars come back next game. And don't panic on any of the Thunder's main guys, they just got a night to rest, which honestly is fine for fantasy playoffs.