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Ajay Mitchell had five steals and fell on our points board, and why that is right

Mitchell had five steals and Cason Wallace four in Oklahoma City's win over Denver, but with no rebounds or assists Mitchell dropped from 123rd to 134th on points while Chet Holmgren took 17 rebounds.

By · 2 min read

Oklahoma City's 96-84 win over Denver on Thursday was won on defense, and the box score shows it in the steals. Ajay Mitchell had five in 23 minutes and Cason Wallace four in 24, and Chet Holmgren added 12 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks in 28 minutes, according to Fox Sports and the box score our projections read from ESPN overnight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time reigning MVP, missed all seven of his shots in the first half, as ESPN noted, and finished with 17 points on 6-for-19.

Ranks from our projections board and the analysts' consensus, updated nightly.

The Thunder's guards are some of the most useful players in fantasy for one category, and some of the least useful in points leagues, and Thursday shows why more clearly than most nights. Mitchell's five steals came with no rebounds and no assists, and our projection of him went down, not up. This piece explains why that is the right answer for a points league and the wrong one to carry into 9-cat.

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All stories in the NewsroomOctober 23, 2026

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