Last Updated on December 27, 2025 12:49 pm by Mike Passador | Published: December 27, 2025

Friday was a full return to action after a brief holiday break, as a lot of the league jumped back on the treadmill after a day to rest and ideally spend some time with loved ones. You could see who was rejuvenated and who was still a little checked out, and games around these breaks tend to feature some surprising results.

Look no further than Utah, where Keyonte George’s running floater with two seconds left was enough to upend the mighty Pistons despite 17 assists from Cade Cunningham, who continues to stack massive lines. Ausar Thompson probably should’ve been on the floor for those big defensive possessions late in the game but he ended up with only 16 minutes. Jalen Duren only played 22 himself as he was whistled for five fouls. The Jazz have the talent to be a decent team in the very near future, but it remains to be seen if the organization’s long-term plan will allow for that.

The Grizzlies welcomed Ja Morant back to the lineup and he only needed 25 minutes to collect 17 points and 10 dimes in an easy win over the Bucks. Jaren Jackson Jr. was also excellent with five blocks and a big scoring night. Nobody is seeing Memphis as a true contender, but anything they can cobble together to get the vibes right and establish a clear view of what their future might be should be taken as good news.

Joel Embiid still looks like a shell of his former self but even this facsimile can bring the heat in the box score — he had 31 points, five rebounds and a block in 32 minutes vs. the Bulls. The Sixers still found a way to lose as the Chicago bench went crazy, and they’ll have to figure something out now that they can’t just have Embiid play a few extra minutes to neutralize any second-unit advantages going the other way.

Mark Williams came to life with 24 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and a block in 27 minutes vs. the Pelicans, reversing a recent trend of Oso Ighodaro claiming the bulk of the playing time at center. Over the last few weeks Williams has struggled to get the edge in the timeshare unless he’s actually producing well. It looks like a true meritocracy, with minutes going to whoever is helping the team more, but Williams remains a solid — if frustrating — fantasy option.

And then there was a big comeback in LA, but we’ll get to the star of that game right after the jump.

Top Pickups

This is the “general must-add” section regardless of the slate. If these players are being overlooked and remain chilling on the waiver wire, consider adding them to your squad.

Brook Lopez (14%)

Well look at that. Lopez was a soft add in the wake of Ivica Zubac’s ankle sprain but Friday’s performance will get him scooped up en masse, and rightfully so. The big man went insane in a win over the Blazers, dropping 31 points (9-of-16 FG, 4-of-4 FT), five rebounds, two blocks and nine 3-pointers in 33 minutes. Lopez has fallen out of the rotation at times this season and while it was fair to question if he still had any gas in the tank, you have to add him where possible to see if he can do even a cheap impression of his old hits. This game will go down as his best of the year, but he has a couple weeks to keep producing.

Bilal Coulibaly (11%)

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