Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 71.5 fantasy points Monday in a win over the Houston Rockets.
A team in the west is heating up in a hotly-contested playoff race, while unusual sources have turned some heads.
As per usual, NBA Fantasy Salary Game players are left with plenty to process at the midweek point.
Here are all the need-to-knows midway through Week 20:
Story So Far
Bringing Jimmy Butler III into the fold has done wonders for the Golden State Warriors (35-28). They’ve looked like a team reborn, going 10-2 since he first took the court donning the blue and gold. As a result, they’re in sole possession of the No. 6 seed, marked safe from the SoFi Play-In Tournament for the time being.
A terrific run from Stephen Curry has maintained the triumphant tone. He’s now up to five consecutive outings with 44 or more fantasy points, and has cracked 50 three times in that span. Dating back to Feb. 8 – Butler’s Warriors debut – he’s averaging 46.2 fantasy points per game (FPPG), outdoing his season-long mark of 40.7.
There haven’t been any eye-popping numbers from Butler III yet, reaching highs of 25 points scored Feb. 8 and Thursday, but his impact has been tangible. He’s submitted 30-plus fantasy points seven times over for Golden State and averaged 39.5 FPPG across his first six appearances.
Top Performances
Headlining the week so far is Paolo Banchero with his 74.6 fantasy points for the Orlando Magic (29-35) in a 114-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors (20-42) on Tuesday. The third-year forward put up 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for his highest output since a season-high 84.1 on Oct. 28. Though Orlando has fallen down the Eastern Conference standings, Banchero has offered a steady force, now boasting six showings with 40 or more fantasy points across the last 10 contests.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kicked off the week with the kind of bang he’s provided time and time again. He tallied 71.5 fantasy points Monday as the Oklahoma City Thunder (51-11) ousted the Houston Rockets (38-25) by a 137-128 score. His 51 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the winning effort marked his eighth 70-plus point performance, as well as his 17th with 60 or more. The Kia NBA MVP contender is one of just two players with 3000 total fantasy points (TFP) this campaign, boasting 3304.2 with 20 games to go.
Bringing up the rear across the first four GameDays was Devin Vassell with a career night. He racked up a season-high 70.7 fantasy points amid a 127-113 victory for the San Antonio Spurs (26-34) over the Brooklyn Nets (21-41) on Tuesday. The fifth-year guard/forward – not even having hit 50 yet this campaign – blew right past his previous best of 44.6 thanks to 37 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. With Victor Wembanyama out for the remainder of the season, Vassell figures to have a large role in the offense, and Tuesday was a sneak peek of what could be.
Transaction Tips
Investing in players on the Utah Jazz (15-47) has rarely been wise in 2024-25, but Kyle Filipowski is making some notable noise. He’s been the No. 1 GameDay top-value scorer twice in Week 20 with 32.1 fantasy points Monday and an even better 40.6 on Wednesday.
Filipowski only has 929.2 TFP and 17.9 FPPG to his name, but dating back to Feb. 24, the first-year center has overperformed tremendously. He’s averaged 31.9 FPPG across the last six contests – highlighted by a season-high 47.7 to begin that stretch.
Should he stay afloat, the Duke product will be one of fantasy’s best bargains at a salary of $4.5M. He’s providing a reason for excitement during an otherwise difficult season for Utah.
