Dec. 22-25 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Luka Doncic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Trae Young and More

There were some great NBA games and individual performances over the holiday weekend.

Let’s take a look at some of the top outings between Friday and Monday.

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Best Christmas Performances

Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic went off in the team’s road win over the Phoenix Suns. He scored 50 points, dished out 15 assists, grabbed six rebounds, blocked three shots and had four steals. Doncic only committed four turnovers.

He’s one of the top players of the game, as the FantasySP trade value charts confirm, and is capable of those kinds of performances any night. He should be nearly untouchable - I’d only move Doncic if I was getting back way more value in return.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis had a big outing in the team’s loss to the Boston Celtics. Davis finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and a block, while committing two turnovers.

Davis is fifth in the trade value charts and is inching closer to the No. 3 spot.

Miami Heats’ Jaime Jaquez Jr. recorded 31 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and one assist across 39 minutes in the team’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Jaquez took advantage of Jimmy Butler being out, but has really enjoyed a great rookie season overall.

New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson went for 38 points, six assists, four rebounds and a steal in the team’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He will pop back up later in this story again.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 32 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in the Bucks’ loss to the Knicks. 

Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic shot just 4-of-12 overall, but made all 18 of his free throws to total 26 points in the team’s win over the Golden State Warriors. Jokic also had 14 rebounds and eight assists, while committing just three turnovers.

Phoenix’s Grayson Allen made eight 3-pointers on his way to scoring 32 points against the Mavericks. Allen also had four assists and rebounds and one steal in the contest.

Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard was another 30-point scorer, finishing with 32. He also tallied eight assists.

Suns’ Chimezie Metu led the league with 19 rebounds. He also had 23 points.

Miami’s Bam Adebayo recorded 15 rebounds to go along with his 26 points, five assists and three blocks.

Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and two assists and rebounds. Teammate Derrick White had 18 points, 11 assists and two steals and blocks. 

Phoenix’s Devin Booker ended the night with 20 points and 10 assists, but also turned the ball over five times.

Saturday’s Best Outings

Back on Saturday, Lakers’ LeBron James led the NBA with a 40-point night in the team’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. James also had seven assists and rebounds and two steals and blocks in the contest.

LeBron was perfect on his five 3-point attempts and showed he can still power his team when needed. He might not always lead the team in scoring with Davis there, and with James’ trade value chart number seventh overall, maybe you want to sell high and build some depth for your fantasy roster.

Doncic recorded a triple-double in the team’s win over the San Antonio Spurs. He finished with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while turning the ball over twice.

Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun went for 37 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the team’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s up to 30th on the trade value charts.

Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane totaled 37 points and six boards and assists to help his team to a win over the Atlanta Hawks. 

Brunson posted 36 points and seven assists in the Knicks’ loss to the Bucks - yes, the teams played twice in a row, and no I don’t understand why you’d do that, especially because one was a Christmas matchup.

OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 34 points, seven assists, five boards and three steals in the team’s loss to the Lakers. SGA continues to fill up the stat sheet, and now sits sixth in the trade value charts.

Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Timerbwolves. Sabonis had 17 points, 10 boards and 10 assists.

Jokic just missed a triple-double in the team’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, tallying 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. 

Indianapolis Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton went for 29 points, 15 assists and three steals in the team’s loss to the Orlando Magic. Atlanta’s Trae Young tallied 30 points, 13 assists and five boards in a loss to the Grizzlies, while Memphis’ Ja Morant totaled 30 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in the winning effort.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists in the team’s win over the Chicago Bulls. Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert posted 21 points and 17 boards in the team’s win over Sacramento. Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes ended the night with 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a loss to the Utah Jazz.

Friday’s Top Performers

Jokic was elite again in the Nuggets’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Jokic had 31 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. It’s really amazing how impactful Jokic can be on a nightly basis, and is a reason why he’d be nearly untouchable for me in fantasy leagues.

Denver teammate Jamal Murray went for 32 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two blocks in the contest. He’s been a bit inconsistent this season, but is capable of these big scoring nights every time he takes the court.

Sabonis had another triple-double in the team’s win over the Suns. He shot 12-of-15 overall to finish with 28 points, while also tallying 12 assists and 11 boards.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid just missed a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 boards and nine assists in a win over the Raptors. Embiid also had four blocks and two steals, but also committed six turnovers.

Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey led Philly with 33 points each. Harris also went for eight boards and seven assists, while Maxey had 10 assists and four boards. They are about as good of No. 2 and 3 options as there are in the league.

Toronto’s Pascal Siakam finished with 31 points, five rebounds and assists in the losing effort.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry made eight triples and finished with 30 points in the team’s win over the Washington Wizards. Curry also had seven assists and four boards.

Young had another huge double-double for the Hawks, going for 30 points and 13 assists in a loss to the Heat. Young did commit six turnovers.

Brooklyn’s Nicolas Claxton totaled 10 points, 16 boards, six assists and three blocks in the team’s loss to the Nuggets. Trayce Jackson-Davis went for 10 points and 15 boards in the Warriors’ win. Sengun had 15 boards and 22 points in a win over the Mavericks. 

Miami’s Tyler Herro made seven 3-pointers and finished with 30 points against the Hawks. Herro also had seven rebounds.

Standout Rookies

Along with Jackson-Davis’ performance on Friday, Dallas’ Dexter Dennis and Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Miami’s Jaquez all had solid outings.

Dennis tallied 18 points, five boards and four assists, while Prosper tallied 20 points and six boards. Jaquez tallied 19 points and seven rebounds.

Cleveland’s Craig Porter Jr. tallied 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on Saturday. 

OKC’s Chet Holmgren finished with 19 points, 10 boards and three blocks. 

Charlotte’s Nick Smith Jr. scored 19 points, while Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski went for 15 points, 10 boards and seven assists. 

On Christmas, Jaquez was the top-performing rookie with his 31 points.

Podziemski had 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals. Dallas rookie Dereck Lively II totaled 20 points and 10 boards.