Jalen Brunson Scores 31 as the Knicks Beat Cleveland Again, Stephen Curry Drops 41 in Overtime and Jalen Johnson Returns With 30: Saturday NBA Fantasy Notes

Saturday's seven-game NBA slate gave fantasy managers a statement win from the defending champion Knicks in Cleveland, a 41-point overtime show from Stephen Curry, a 30-point return from Atlanta's Jalen Johnson and an efficient 29 in 24 minutes from Victor Wembanyama. Here are the results, the standout lines and the moves that matter heading into Sunday and the start of a new fantasy week.

Knicks 109, Cavaliers 97: Brunson's 18-point burst decides the rematch

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points with nine assists and six rebounds, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points, 13 rebounds and two steals as New York won 109-97 in Cleveland in the first meeting since the Knicks swept the Cavaliers in last season's Eastern Conference finals. With Cleveland up 39-37 in the second quarter, Brunson hit a three and went on to score 18 straight points over a span of 4:24, turning the game into a 52-45 Knicks lead. He shot 12 of 25 and made three threes. Towns was 11 of 21 from the field and 5 of 5 at the line.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 on 13-of-22 shooting, 21 of them in the fourth quarter, but the rest of the Cavaliers' backcourt went quiet. James Harden finished with seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. Cleveland was on the second night of a back-to-back after routing Philadelphia on Friday and again played without Jarrett Allen (knee), while New York played without Josh Hart (ankle). The Knicks improved to 5-4 with their first three-game winning streak of the season; Cleveland fell to 5-5.

Fantasy takeaway: Towns is producing elite big-man numbers, and Brunson's usage is locked in. Harden's off night came on a back-to-back, so hold him. With Hart out, Landry Shamet started and hit three threes in 29 minutes; he is a deep-league threes stream only while Hart sits.

Warriors 126, Magic 119 (OT): Curry closes, Lendeborg keeps rolling

Curry scored 41 on 13-of-19 shooting, with five threes and a perfect 10 of 10 at the line, plus six rebounds and six assists. He converted a three-point play with 1:38 left in overtime to put Golden State ahead and added a late layup as the Warriors won their seventh straight and moved to 7-3. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg hit a key overtime three and finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Draymond Green posted a season-high 13 assists to go with two steals and two blocks.

Orlando (2-7) has now lost four straight on Golden State's floor. Franz Wagner had 30 points and 11 assists, while Anthony Black stuffed the sheet with 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. Jamal Cain added 18 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in 36 minutes with Orlando missing Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac and Desmond Bane (illness).

Fantasy takeaway: Lendeborg remains a must-start with Kristaps Porzingis away from the team. Black is a category monster while Orlando's guard depth is thin, and Cain is a short-term rebounds stream for as long as the Magic stay this short-handed.

Thunder 114, Wizards 75: the season's lowest score

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points with nine assists in three quarters, and Oklahoma City held Washington to the lowest team total in the NBA this season. The Wizards shot 29 of 98 (29.6 percent) and 7 of 43 from three. Jared McCain scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting and rookie Aday Mara had 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Isaiah Hartenstein scored only two points but grabbed 14 rebounds with six assists.

Rookie AJ Dybantsa led Washington with 19 and Alex Sarr had 15 points and 14 rebounds, but Trae Young (four points, 1-of-6) and Bilal Coulibaly (0-of-8) were non-factors. Anthony Davis sat again with his sprained ankle. The Wizards have lost three straight and are 4-6; the Thunder are 8-2 and have won five of seven since losing Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren to long-term injuries.

Fantasy takeaway: McCain has scored 21 and 19 on consecutive nights and is the add of the night in standard leagues. Mara's role keeps growing. Sarr's rebounding floor makes him a hold even on Washington's ugly nights.

Hawks 124, Nets 121: Johnson's return sparks a comeback

Jalen Johnson scored 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists in his return from a left ankle sprain that cost him three games. Atlanta trailed 31-14 in the first quarter and did not take its first lead until Nickeil Alexander-Walker made two free throws with 1:26 left. Alexander-Walker and Aaron Wiggins each scored 20, and Dyson Daniels posted nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Atlanta has won four straight and is 7-4.

For Brooklyn (2-7), Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 with nine rebounds, Nolan Traore posted a season-high 19 on 8-of-10 shooting with four steals, Julius Randle had 19, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Day'Ron Sharpe produced 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

Fantasy takeaway: Johnson is back to full-strength usage, which trims Alexander-Walker's ceiling. Daniels remains a steals cheat code. Traore and Sharpe are both worth a look, especially Sunday, with rookie Mikel Brown Jr. ruled out for rest at Dallas.

The rest of the slate and Saturday's standout lines

In Mexico City, Denver beat Indiana 114-102 as Nikola Jokic scored 19 with 13 rebounds and eight assists, Cameron Johnson added 18 and Jamal Murray had 16 and eight assists. Spencer Jones hit all three of his three-point attempts for 13 points in 21 minutes. Pascal Siakam scored 23 for the Pacers (3-7), who have lost five of six without Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring).

Phoenix beat Houston 102-99 for its first back-to-back wins of the season as Devin Booker scored 24, including seven straight to break a 95-95 tie. Kevin Durant had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Amen Thompson blocked four shots for the Rockets, who played without centers Steven Adams (calf) and Clint Capela (ankle). San Antonio routed Portland 125-103 behind Wembanyama's 29 on 9-of-13 shooting, and Yang Hansen posted his first career double-double (12 and 10) for the Blazers, who were again without Ja Morant and Shaedon Sharpe.

Saturday's best fantasy lines, all from official box scores:

What to do in your league

Add Jared McCain first; Oklahoma City's injuries have opened real minutes and the Thunder play four games next week. Nolan Traore is the next priority, particularly as a Sunday play with Brown resting. Day'Ron Sharpe is an assists-and-rebounds stream in deeper formats. Hold Harden and Trae Young through quiet nights, and keep starting Lendeborg and Black.

For tonight's statuses, including Luka Doncic's back, see the Verdexed injury watch. The model's view on Sunday's games lives on the NBA predictions page and in the NBA picks for November 8.

What's next

Sunday brings seven games, headlined by the Lakers at Detroit and Boston at Milwaukee. The Knicks host Milwaukee on Tuesday, Golden State hosts New Orleans on Monday looking for an eighth straight win, and the Thunder open a back-to-back in Portland on Tuesday.