Braden Smith dishes out five assists, scores 16

The 76ers were the only team with a four-game Week 1, which will conclude with a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back. Embiid sitting out one game of a back-to-back, especially this early in the season, is not a surprise. The only issue is that he didn’t reveal which game he’ll miss, with the 76ers hosting Milwaukee on Saturday and Detroit on Sunday. Given the strength of those teams, the Bucks may be the team that misses out on having to deal with “The Process.” Adem Bona or Jabari Walker could get a spot start, and LeBron James may spend a little more time at center as a small-ball alternative.

DeRozan was used in a reserve role on Thursday, and that’s likely how he’ll be used on nights when the Nuggets are healthy. More importantly, he got 28 minutes in his Nuggets debut. DeRozan’s issues on Thursday: foul shooting and turnovers. In addition to missing three of six from the charity stripe, DeRozan recorded five turnovers. He’s averaged more than 2.5 turnovers per game once in his NBA career, so fantasy managers shouldn’t worry about Thursday’s number.

A notoriously poor perimeter shooter for most of his NBA career, Gordon has worked hard in recent years to change that. A 41 percent three-point shooter over his last two seasons, the Nuggets forward hit 3-of-4 from distance on Thursday. By comparison, the other starters shot a combined 3-of-15 from beyond the arc against the Thunder. No one should expect Gordon to challenge Stephen Curry, but his perimeter shot is no longer a liability.

Johnson played 11 minutes in Thursday’s opener before a right ankle injury ended his night just before halftime. Officially, the veteran wing was questionable for the second half, but he never returned. Alpha Diallo (4/2/3/1) started the second half and played 22 minutes. If Nuggets head coach David Adelman prefers to keep DeMar DeRozan in the sixth man role, Diallo could start Saturday’s game against the Pelicans if Johnson can’t play.

While injuries played a role last season, Braun’s scoring average dropped by more than three points compared to his 2024-25 output. Unfortunately, the Nuggets guard got off to a slow start on Thursday, shooting 3-of-10 from the field. Braun was active on the glass, but the overall production was disappointing.

Murray shot 2-of-9 from the field in the first half of Thursday’s season opener. Unfortunately for fantasy managers who likely believed that things couldn’t get worse in the second half, they did. Murray scored just one point after halftime and recorded more turnovers (four) than field-goal attempts (two). With the Nuggets playing just two games during Week 1, fantasy managers will hope to see Murray rebound on Saturday against the Pelicans.

Neither MVP winner in Thursday’s game played well in the first half. The difference was that while Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned things around in the second half, Jokić could not. The Thunder big men deserve credit for their defense, but “The Joker” couldn’t find a rhythm. He and the Nuggets will look to bounce back when they host the Pelicans on Saturday.

While he may not be in the Thunder’s starting lineup, Mitchell can still provide solid fantasy value. He played 24 minutes against the Nuggets, doubling his point total from Tuesday’s win over the Spurs. More important for fantasy managers were the “stocks": Mitchell tallied six steals and blocks after recording none in San Antonio. Five-steal nights are unlikely to be the norm, but Mitchell can be close to a top-100 fantasy player for a second consecutive season.

After blocking four shots in Tuesday’s season opener, Holmgren matched that mark on Thursday night. Add in the rebounds, and this was an excellent night for those rostering the slender 7-footer, especially in category leagues. The Western Conference Finals may have left a bad taste in Holmgren’s mouth, but he appears to have put that behind him. This could be a big season for Holmgren if he stays healthy.

J-Dub was Oklahoma City’s top scorer in their home opener, leading the team with 21 points while shooting just under 50 percent from the field. Williams, who appeared in just 33 games last season, looked much sharper than he did in Tuesday’s season-opening win over the Spurs. If he stays healthy, J-Dub should deliver a top-50 season to fantasy managers at a minimum.