Victor Wembanyama Scores 40 in 25 Minutes, the Warriors Rout New Orleans by 51 and Luka Doncic Returns With 32: The West's Three Hottest Streaks and What They Mean for Fantasy

Three Western Conference teams kept their winning streaks going on Monday night, and each one had a fantasy story behind it. Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points in just 25 minutes as San Antonio beat Phoenix 122-96 for its ninth straight win. Golden State beat New Orleans 138-87 for its eighth in a row. And Luka Doncic came back from a one-game absence with 32 points and 10 assists as the Lakers won 124-114 in Atlanta, their sixth straight.

Here's what happened in each game, and what fantasy managers and bettors should do about it.

Wembanyama: 40 points in 25 minutes

Wembanyama's line was absurd. ESPN credited him with 40 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks in 25 minutes. Some outlets had eight blocks, but the point stands either way: he dominated the game so fast that he barely needed to play the fourth quarter. Dylan Harper added 17 points, and De'Aaron Fox had 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Devin Booker scored 32 for Phoenix, but Dillon Brooks shot 3 of 14.

The fantasy lesson is about minutes. Wembanyama is so productive per minute that blowouts barely hurt him. Usually, a big lead means a star sits and loses fantasy value. Wembanyama put up a top-tier fantasy line in about half a game. In category leagues, he's the most valuable player in the sport because of the blocks, and nights like this are why.

The one risk is that San Antonio's winning streak keeps producing lopsided games, and the Spurs could limit his minutes even more. If you're in a DFS contest, his per-minute production makes him worth the price even in games with big spreads. In season-long leagues, there's nothing to do but start him.

Dylan Harper is the secondary name to watch. A 17-point night from a young guard on a team this good means his role is growing. In deeper leagues, he's a solid hold, and he could become more than that if San Antonio keeps cruising and he gets more fourth-quarter minutes.

Warriors: eight straight after an 0-3 start

Golden State's 51-point win was the fourth-largest in franchise history and the worst loss in Pelicans history. The Warriors are the first team in NBA history to answer an 0-3 start with eight straight wins, according to league records cited after the game.

Stephen Curry scored 25 on 6-of-10 shooting with four threes, and 16 of his points came in the third quarter. He also passed DeMar DeRozan for 16th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 26,803 career points. Brandin Podziemski also scored 25, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Golden State shot 54.9% from the field, made 21 of 44 threes and won the rebounding battle 50-31.

Keep the context in mind: New Orleans was playing the second night of a back-to-back without Zion Williamson or Trey Murphy III. Derik Queen led the Pelicans with 16 points and three blocks.

For fantasy, the Lendeborg line matters most. The Warriors' frontcourt changed when Kristaps Porzingis stepped away from the team to focus on his health last week, and Lendeborg has a bigger role as a result. A rookie putting up 23-7-4 is worth adding in most leagues, though blowouts like this inflate bench production. Podziemski is also worth a look in deeper leagues while his role is steady.

Lakers: Doncic returns and the bench steps up

Doncic missed the previous game with lower back tightness, so a 32-point, 10-assist night was a relief for fantasy managers. He also had eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks. The Lakers moved to 10-2, and Atlanta fell to 7-5.

The other names in that box score are the ones fantasy managers should look at closely. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 23 off the bench with five threes. Walker Kessler had 21, Collin Sexton added 18 and Ziaire Williams scored 12. For Atlanta, CJ McCollum scored 21 off the bench and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20.

The back issue is still worth watching. Back tightness tends to come back, and Lakers managers should be ready for Doncic to sit on the second night of back-to-backs. When Doncic sat Sunday, Austin Reaves scored 43, which shows how much the offense shifts when Doncic is out.

Walker Kessler is the steady fantasy piece. A center who rebounds and blocks shots next to a ball-dominant guard like Doncic tends to be a reliable category contributor. Mamukelashvili is a streaming option, but bench scoring like this is often inconsistent.

Betting angle

Long winning streaks shape how the market prices teams. All three teams are now being treated as top contenders, and lines will reflect that. The places to look for value are spots where a streaking team is on the second night of a back-to-back, on a long road trip, or resting a star.

For San Antonio, blowouts mean Wembanyama's minutes are capped, so his points props depend on how competitive the game is. For Golden State, Curry's role is steady, but the bench is producing a lot in blowouts, which makes bench player props more unpredictable. For the Lakers, Doncic's back is the key variable, and his status on back-to-backs should drive any Lakers bet.

For Verdexed's game-level view on each night's slate, see the daily NBA picks pages, such as /blog/nba-picks-2026-11-10, and the live board at /nba/predictions.

What to do in your league

Start Wembanyama every night, and in DFS, don't let blowout risk push you off him. Add Lendeborg in 12-team leagues while Porzingis is away. Keep Kessler in lineups as a steady category big. Hold Harper in deeper leagues. And for Doncic managers, have a backup guard ready for back-to-backs until the Lakers stop listing his back.