About last night: Fantasy basketball stars deliver as Cavaliers top Thunder in matchup of NBA’s top teams

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Wednesday’s NBA slate provided a blend of history and standout fantasy performances. The league’s top teams clashed as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder battled to the wire. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks triumphed over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. Across the league, players such as Jarrett Allen, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jared Butler delivered performances that fantasy managers couldn’t overlook.

Here’s what went down last night in the Association.

Cavs outlast Thunder in crunch time

The Cavs’ and Thunder’s matchup on Wednesday was just the third time in league history that two teams with a .850 winning percentage or better have met this late in the season. In a contest where the top-ranked offense (CLE) and top-ranked defense (OKC) amounted for 30 lead changes and zero double-digit leads, this game was everything fans and fantasy managers hoped for — and more. Cleveland secured a 129-122 win, extending its win streak to 11 games (and the second win streak of more than 10 games this season), while the Thunder’s win streak ended at 15 games (tied for the longest this season).

Jarrett Allen (59.2) and Evan Mobley (46.5) combined for 105.2 fantasy points, scoring over 20 points with at least 10 rebounds and six assists. The last time a big-man duo produced those numbers in the same game was in 1998 with Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Darius Garland sealed the game with a massive layup in the final minute and finished with 27.7 fantasy points. At the same time, OKC’s defense got to Donovan Mitchell, limiting him to just 23.20 fantasy points — more than 14 below his average per game. Fortunately for the Cavs, depth played a critical role, with seven players scoring in double figures, including Max Strus (17 points) and Ty Jerome (15 points).

On the flip side, Jalen Williams was the most dominant fantasy performer for the Thunder, amassing 53.5 fantasy points — just edging out real-life and fantasy MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who produced 53 fantasy points. Isaiah Hartenstein was effective in scoring, rebounding and facilitating in the post, netting 18 points and…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/about-last-night-fantasy-basketball-stars-deliver-as-cavaliers-top-thunder-in-matchup-of-nbas-top-teams-141707709.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-09 14:17:00

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