PHI 126, MIL 106: Ryan Fills Stat Sheet With Double-Double
Sarah Kowalski
Orthopedic Nurse ยท Milwaukee Bucks fan
Bucks Were Decimated, and the Waiver Wire is About to Get Messy
Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. The Milwaukee Bucks got absolutely gutted last night in Philly, 126-106, and I'm still processing what I watched. I work orthopedic rotations where I see carnage happen in slow motion, and this felt like that. The Bucks rolled into Wells Fargo with half their roster, and the 76ers punished them for it.
Here's the thing though: this game is less about who actually played and more about what didn't happen. So let's focus on what actually went down and who matters for your league.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cormac Ryan | 39.0 | 41.0 | 22/10/4 | 14.3/2.5/1.7 | +7.7 |
| Andre Drummond | 41.0 | 38.1 | 12/13/3 | 6.4/8.5/1.3 | +5.6 |
| VJ Edgecombe | 38.0 | 35.9 | 9/7/11 | 16.0/5.6/4.2 | -7.0 |
| Justin Edwards | 40.0 | 32.2 | 17/1/2 | 6.0/1.5/1.3 | +11.0 |
| Quentin Grimes | 38.0 | 32.1 | 20/3/5 | 13.4/3.6/3.3 | +6.6 |
| Andre Jackson Jr. | 23.0 | 29.4 | 9/7/2 | 2.4/1.5/0.9 | +6.6 |
| Jericho Sims | 33.0 | 28.9 | 15/7/3 | 5.0/5.5/1.6 | +10.0 |
| Ousmane Dieng | 22.0 | 28.4 | 11/7/8 | 7.6/3.2/2.4 | +3.4 |
| AJ Green | 27.0 | 26.5 | 19/5/1 | 10.4/2.7/1.9 | +8.6 |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | 26.0 | 25.5 | 11/5/1 | 14.1/5.0/1.6 | -3.1 |
The Bucks Situation is Scary
Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play. Neither did Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis, Gary Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Ryan Rollins, Gary Trent Jr., or Myles Turner. Seven rotation players. That's not a depleted roster, that's a JV team with some NBA guys sprinkled in.
I work in healthcare, so I know the difference between "day-to-day" and "we're getting decimated by injuries." This felt like the latter. Without seeing the official injury reports, I can't tell you what happened to each guy, but the Bucks basically forfeited this game before tipoff.
The fantasy takeaway: if you have any Bucks players and they're not All-NBA caliber (which none of them are right now), you should be nervous about their reliability the next two weeks. Injuries on one team get weird. Sometimes the backups go off. Sometimes they brick everything. It's a crapshoot.
The Bucks Backups Actually Held It Down (Relatively)
Cormac Ryan went absolutely nuclear. 22 points, 10 boards, 4 assists on 8-20 shooting. That's +7.7 points above his season average. He hit 3 threes and was one of the only Bucks guards creating any space against Philly's defense.
Ousmane Dieng (11/7/8) and AJ Green (19/5/1) combined for 30 points and did what they could with expanded minutes. These are bench guys who got 36-40 minutes of run because, well, everyone else was out. Green especially got aggressive and took 5 threes (hit all of them).
Real talk: don't add these guys thinking they're suddenly fantasy relevant. When the Bucks get healthy, their minutes evaporate. Ryan might be an interesting deep league dart throw if Giannis is out longer, but I'd wait to see if this becomes a pattern. One blowout doesn't make a trend.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo had a weird game too (8/1/6/1/1 in 27 minutes). He got playing time because, well, Giannis wasn't there. He's a 1% owned deep-league stash at best. Don't overthink it.
The 76ers Got Deep Contributions, Not Just Stars
Andre Drummond was fantastic (12/13/3 in 22 minutes). That's +5.6 points per game above his season average. He was efficient, grabbed offensive boards, and did what he does: presence in the paint. He's already a productive center, so this feels sustainable when the team actually tries on defense.
Justin Edwards (17/1/2 with 5 threes in 22 minutes) and Quentin Grimes (20/3/5) were both volume scorers who hit their shots. Edwards was +11.0 points, which is nutty for a guy who averages 6. Grimes was +6.6. These aren't backups getting fake stats, these are solid rotation guys who got open looks in a blowout.
The issue: Philly's stars barely played. Tyrese Maxey (21 points) looked normal but was -7.3 points below season average. Joel Embiid didn't play at all. Paul George played just 21 minutes and went 4-7 (11 points). When Philly gets healthy and tightens rotations, Edwards and Grimes will get fewer minutes and fewer shots.
Waiver Wire Reality Check
Dominick Barlow got added by 0.2% of leagues after putting up 7/3/2 in 19 minutes. Don't bother. He's a 2.7% owned role player who had one okay night. He won't be relevant when Embiid is back.
The real thing to watch: Giannis is being dropped by 0.5% of teams right now (92.8% owned, which is still basically everyone). Don't panic sell on the All-NBA first-team selection because of one game where he didn't play. That's actually a buying opportunity if someone gets antsy. If he returns soon and looks healthy, his value shoots back up instantly.
The Bottom Line
The Bucks got destroyed by availability. The 76ers won comfortably against a skeleton crew. For fantasy purposes, treat last night as an asterisk game. The Bucks players who went off won't maintain production when the roster is full. The Sixers guys who popped off will see fewer minutes when Embiid is back.
Wait a few days for injury clarification on Milwaukee. Don't overreact to one blowout. And seriously, be patient on Giannis. All-NBA players don't become waiver trash because of one missed game, even if your league-mates are panicking.