Here are the top performers on April 29 and the stats to highlight their impact.
BEST PLAYER OF THE DAY:
Victor Wembanyama SAS C 17 PTS | 14 REB | 6 BLK | 55.3 FPS (vs. POR)
Though his performance today wasn’t as strong as the previous one, he was still a major difference-maker on the defensive end, leading all players in rebounds and blocks, and also recording his second consecutive game with at least 10 rebounds and six blocks since returning to the lineup.
BREAKOUT:
Julian Champagnie SAS SF 19 PTS | 5 3PM | 7 REB | 31.9 FPS (vs POR)
Offensively, the forward had a career year, finishing with a career-best 11.1 points per game while also ranking 25th in total three-pointers. While he was effective through the first four games of the series, he was much more impressive today, hitting 5-of-7 from deep to finish as the team’s second-leading scorer.
SLEEPER:
Dylan Harper SAS SG 17 PTS | 3 REB | 3 STL | 30.1 FPS (vs. POR)
The rookie delivered what was undoubtedly the best game of his career in Game 3, nearly reaching the 30-point mark while also adding a career-high in rebounds. While he followed it up with one of his worst games of the season, he got back on track today with a strong two-way outing. Harper should remain a key contributor for the Spurs and should produce similar outputs moving forward.
ELITE ASSET:
Joel Embiid PHI C 33 PTS | 4 REB | 8 AST | 49.8 FPS (vs. BOS)
Despite missing plenty of games this year due to injuries, Embiid is still very capable of producing at a high level when healthy. That was on full display today as he shot 50% from the field and converted 9-of-10 at the line to lead all players in scoring and fuel the comeback win. Over two games in the series, he has averaged 29.5 points with 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He could do even more, if he finds his range from three, where he’s just 1-for-10 in that span.
CATEGORY SPECIALIST:
Neemias Queta BOS C 8 PTS | 14 REB | 1 AST | 26.3 FPS (vs. PHI)
The Celtics have some really nice depth in the frontcourt which has resulted in inconsistent minutes for the big man. Despite that, Queta remained impactful throughout the series as a scorer and rebounder. He’s now averaging 8.8 points on 76.2% shooting along with 7.4 rebounds. However, the team will need him to bring more to the table for them to close out the series.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Jalen Brunson NYK PG 39 PTS | 3 REB | 8 AST | 53.6 FPS (vs. ATL)
Offensively, Brunson has been on another level, averaging 28.2 points on 46.4% shooting from two and 41.9% from long range. He’s one of the major reasons the Knicks are now up 3-2 in the series, and the team will need him to keep producing at this level to secure their spot in the next round of the playoffs.
STREAMER:
Dyson Daniels ATL SG 17 PTS | 2 REB | 5 AST | 26.9 FPS (vs. NYK)
Through four games in the series, Daniels hasn’t really been much of a factor offensively. But he flipped the script today, finishing with his best scoring game of the month on solid percentages. Despite that, he was still less productive overall, posting a playoff-low rebound total while coming up empty on the defensive end.
FLOPPER:
CJ McCollum ATL PG 6 PTS | 3 REB | 1 BLK | 13.1 FPS (vs. NYK)
In the first four games of the series, McCollum had excelled on both ends of the floor, averaging 24.5 points on 54.5% shooting from the field along with 2.7 stocks per game. While he remained productive on defense, he was far from that level offensively, shooting just 3-for-10 from the field and posting his lowest scoring game in almost six months.
