CHA 127, MIA 126: Miles Bridges Feasts in Up-Tempo Affair
Tyler Okonkwo
Student & Retail Associate · Houston Rockets fan
Hornets Steal One in Charlotte as LaMelo Goes Nuclear, Ware Dominates the Glass
127, Heat 126 - This one went down to the wire, and your fantasy lineup either ate or got cooked depending on who you had. Charlotte pulled off the one-point W at home, and it was genuinely a track meet of a game. Let's break what actually matters for your roster.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kel'el Ware | 59.0 | 55.8 | 12/19/4 | 11.1/9.0/0.7 | +0.9 |
| LaMelo Ball | 52.0 | 54.0 | 30/5/10 | 20.1/4.8/7.1 | +9.9 |
| Miles Bridges | 64.0 | 53.8 | 28/9/2 | 17.1/5.8/3.2 | +10.9 |
| Davion Mitchell | 60.0 | 50.8 | 28/4/6 | 9.3/2.7/6.5 | +18.7 |
| Brandon Miller | 50.0 | 41.5 | 23/5/5 | 20.2/4.9/3.3 | +2.8 |
| Andrew Wiggins | 46.0 | 39.9 | 27/7/3 | 15.4/4.8/2.7 | +11.6 |
| Coby White | 40.0 | 34.5 | 19/5/3 | 17.4/3.4/4.0 | +1.6 |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | 34.0 | 34.2 | 13/6/8 | 15.4/5.0/4.7 | -2.4 |
| Tyler Herro | 33.0 | 33.6 | 23/3/6 | 20.5/4.8/4.1 | +2.5 |
| Moussa Diabaté | 29.0 | 28.3 | 8/14/1 | 7.9/8.7/1.9 | +0.1 |
LaMelo Goes Scorching Hot
LaMelo Ball coming off the bench or whatever the Hornets had him doing, and he just decided to turn into a bucket tonight. 30 points on decent efficiency (12-31 from the field, 4-4 free throws) plus 10 assists. That's 54 Yahoo FP, which is exactly what you need from your primary ball handler. The thing that stands out, he was only +9.9 against his season average of 20.1 PPG. That tells you this wasn't some random explosion, it was just a really solid LaMelo game. He's a must-start in any format, and nights like this remind you why. 39 minutes of run tells you Charlotte trusted him to close this thing out.
Davion Mitchell's Line is Absolutely Unhinged
This dude went 12-24 from the field and dropped 28 points. For context, his season average is 9.3 PPG. That's a +18.7 point swing. 50.8 Yahoo FP. I'm gonna be straight up, Davion Mitchell is not somebody you should be relying on for volume like this regularly, but this game shows what happens when a role player gets hot. The minutes helped too, 47 minutes, which is basically a full game. Don't overreact and trade for him, but if someone panics and drops him, he's worth a waiver claim in 12-team leagues just for games like this.
Kel'el Ware Made Heat Fans Forget About Bam
So here's the story nobody's talking about yet, Kel'el Ware came in and absolutely murdered the glass tonight. 19 rebounds, 12 points, 4 assists, 5 blocks in 41 minutes. That's 55.8 Yahoo FP. His season average is 11.1 PPG and 9.0 RPG, so the +10 rebound margin is what made this special. Here's where it gets interesting though, Bam Adebayo was terrible. Only 11 minutes played, 6 points on 3-3 shooting. If Bam's dealing with something or the Heat genuinely want to work Ware into the rotation more, that's a huge shift in Miami's frontcourt allocation.
For fantasy, Ware's been a low-key floor contributor most of the season, but having him finish with 55+ Yahoo on a night like this means he's got legitimate upside. In deep leagues, he's worth stashing. Just watch Bam's health, because if Bam stays limited, Ware becomes way more valuable going forward.
Miles Bridges Did What He Does
Miles Bridges went 10-18 with 5 threes and put up 28 points, 9 rebounds. That's your expected version of Miles, efficient and productive. +10.9 against his average. He's been consistent all year, and this game was just him being a scoring machine. 43 minutes of floor time. Nothing crazy to parse here, he just played well on a night Charlotte needed him.
Andrew Wiggins Going Off is Interesting
Andrew Wiggins had 27 points on 10-18 shooting, including 4 threes. 39.9 Yahoo FP. That's +11.6 versus his season average of 15.4 PPG. I know Wiggins hasn't been a flex play for most of this season, so seeing him go off for this volume is worth noting. 41 minutes means Miami trusted him against Charlotte's perimeter game. Not sure if this is a sign of a bigger role shift or just a hot night, but if Wiggins is suddenly getting 40-minute nights, he becomes a streaming option at the very least.
What Actually Matters Here
The Hornets won a tight one, and their stars showed up. The Heat lost despite some serious individual performances from guys who don't usually carry the load. If you had Heat players, you probably got a nice night out of guys like Davion Mitchell and Ware, but it wasn't enough. If you had Hornets, you got paid across the board with LaMelo and Bridges leading the way.
The real thing to watch: Is Ware getting a bigger piece of minutes? Is Bam okay? These are the questions that matter for your next waiver wire decision.