Cade Cunningham Breaks the Slate
The May 13, 2026 player slate was headlined by Cade Cunningham, but the real story goes deeper than one box score. This recap breaks down who actually created fantasy separation, who carried specific stat categories, who crushed expectation, and who came in light versus baseline.
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Slate Snapshot
- Date: May 13, 2026
- Games: 1
- Players logged: 19
Slate MVP: Cade Cunningham Delivered the Hammer
Cade Cunningham posted the kind of line that decides slates.
He finished with 39 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks, and 6 made threes, good for 60.9 fantasy points.
That was a elite fantasy line with a scoring-driven, creator role, shooting spike profile. This was not empty scoring — the production hit across enough categories to separate from the rest of the player pool.
Fantasy Leaders
The top of the fantasy leaderboard was defined by players who either carried massive usage, filled multiple categories, or spiked in the right stat buckets. James Harden was right behind him with 54.6 FPTS, giving the slate a strong second anchor instead of a one-player runaway.
- Cade Cunningham — 60.9 FPTS
- James Harden — 54.6 FPTS
- Evan Mobley — 48.6 FPTS
- Ausar Thompson — 40.9 FPTS
- Jarrett Allen — 37.5 FPTS
Scoring Leaders
Cade Cunningham set the scoring pace with 39 points. These were the players who carried the raw bucket-making load, but scoring only told part of the fantasy story.
- Cade Cunningham — 39
- James Harden — 30
- Donovan Mitchell — 21
- Max Strus — 20
- Daniss Jenkins — 19
Rebounding Leaders
Jarrett Allen controlled the glass with 10 rebounds. Rebounding remains one of the cleanest ways for players to build fantasy floors when the shot volume is not enough by itself.
- Jarrett Allen — 10
- Evan Mobley — 8
- James Harden — 8
- Max Strus — 8
- Paul Reed — 8
Assist Leaders
Cade Cunningham owned the creation role with 9 assists. High-end assist games usually point to usage beyond scoring — the player is controlling possessions, dictating pace, and creating fantasy value through teammates.
- Cade Cunningham — 9
- Evan Mobley — 8
- James Harden — 6
- Ausar Thompson — 5
- Dennis Schröder — 5
Defensive Stat Leaders
Defensive stats were slate separators. Steals and blocks can turn ordinary lines into tournament-winning scores fast, especially when they stack on top of scoring and minutes.
Ausar Thompson led the slate with 4 steals, while Ausar Thompson controlled the block category with 3 blocks.
Steals Leaders
- Ausar Thompson — 4
- Cade Cunningham — 2
- Caris LeVert — 1
- Daniss Jenkins — 1
- Dean Wade — 1
Block Leaders
- Ausar Thompson — 3
- Evan Mobley — 3
- James Harden — 3
- Daniss Jenkins — 2
- Jarrett Allen — 2
Three-Point Leaders
Cade Cunningham delivered the biggest perimeter spike with 6 made threes. Three-point volume is one of the fastest ways for a player to jump tiers, especially when the peripherals also show up.
- Cade Cunningham — 6
- Max Strus — 6
- James Harden — 3
- Daniss Jenkins — 2
- Evan Mobley — 2
Free Throw Leaders: Who Forced the Issue
James Harden put the most pressure on the defense, leading the slate with 14 free throw attempts. Free throws matter because they create efficient scoring, foul pressure, and a more stable path to fantasy production.
Free Throw Attempts
- James Harden — 14
- Cade Cunningham — 8
- Donovan Mitchell — 6
- Evan Mobley — 6
- Dennis Schröder — 5
Free Throws Made
- James Harden — 11
- Cade Cunningham — 7
- Donovan Mitchell — 6
- Evan Mobley — 5
- Jarrett Allen — 4
Turnover Leaders: Usage With a Cost
High turnovers usually come from players handling the ball, creating offense, or absorbing defensive pressure. That usage can still be valuable, but the mistakes matter.
Cade Cunningham led the slate with 6 turnovers.
- Cade Cunningham — 6
- James Harden — 6
- Evan Mobley — 4
- Ausar Thompson — 2
- Dennis Schröder — 2
Best All-Around Lines of the Slate
These were the players who did more than score. Multi-category production is what creates the strongest fantasy profiles because it gives players multiple paths to get there.
- Cade Cunningham — 39 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals — scoring-driven, creator role, shooting spike
- James Harden — 30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steals, 3 blocks — scoring-driven, defensive juice, rim pressure
- Evan Mobley — 19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steals, 3 blocks — creator role, defensive juice
- Max Strus — 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steals, 1 blocks — shooting spike
- Jarrett Allen — 16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steals, 2 blocks — glass work
Double-Double Tracker
Double-doubles are not automatic slate-winners, but they usually signal strong minutes, stable role, and real involvement in the game environment.
- Jarrett Allen — 16 points, 10 rebounds
Triple-Double Watch
No triple-doubles on this slate, but several players still flirted with complete stat profiles.
Overperformers vs Baseline
This is where the recap gets more useful than raw leaderboards. These players beat their blended baseline the most, using season average plus prior last 3, last 7, and last 10 fantasy-point form.
- Daniss Jenkins — 34.9 FPTS (clear overperformance). Baseline: 17.4 | Delta: +17.5 | Profile: balanced production.
- Max Strus — 37.1 FPTS (clear overperformance). Baseline: 21.6 | Delta: +15.5 | Profile: shooting spike.
- James Harden — 54.6 FPTS (clear overperformance). Baseline: 39.6 | Delta: +15.0 | Profile: scoring-driven, defensive juice, rim pressure.
- Cade Cunningham — 60.9 FPTS (clear overperformance). Baseline: 47.6 | Delta: +13.3 | Profile: scoring-driven, creator role, shooting spike.
- Paul Reed — 26.1 FPTS (clear overperformance). Baseline: 13.7 | Delta: +12.4 | Profile: balanced production.
Underperformers vs Baseline
These were the biggest misses relative to expectation. Some players had bad shooting nights, some lost category volume, and others simply failed to match their normal role.
- Jaylon Tyson — -1 FPTS (clear miss versus baseline). Baseline: 11.1 | Delta: -12.1 | Profile: balanced production.
- Donovan Mitchell — 28.3 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 37.2 | Delta: -8.9 | Profile: balanced production.
- Tobias Harris — 30.7 FPTS (below-expectation result). Baseline: 37.5 | Delta: -6.8 | Profile: balanced production.
- Kevin Huerter — 1.5 FPTS (near baseline). Baseline: 5.3 | Delta: -3.8 | Profile: balanced production.
- Dean Wade — 10.2 FPTS (near baseline). Baseline: 12.3 | Delta: -2.1 | Profile: balanced production.
Top Slate Surprises
These are the outcomes worth flagging. Not just “good games,” but performances that came from players who were not already projected to dominate the slate.
- Daniss Jenkins — 34.9 FPTS against a 17.4 blended baseline, beating expectation by +17.5 (clear overperformance, balanced production).
- Max Strus — 37.1 FPTS against a 21.6 blended baseline, beating expectation by +15.5 (clear overperformance, shooting spike).
- Paul Reed — 26.1 FPTS against a 13.7 blended baseline, beating expectation by +12.4 (clear overperformance, balanced production).
- Ausar Thompson — 40.9 FPTS against a 32.6 blended baseline, beating expectation by +8.3 (useful bump over baseline, defensive juice).
- Jarrett Allen — 37.5 FPTS against a 30.6 blended baseline, beating expectation by +6.9 (useful bump over baseline, glass work).
Final Takeaway
The slate started with Cade Cunningham, who delivered the clear headline performance and forced the rest of the leaderboard to chase.
Beyond the top score, the important signals were category control: Cade Cunningham owned creation, Jarrett Allen controlled the glass, James Harden generated rim pressure, and Cade Cunningham delivered the shooting spike.
The baseline sections are where the real edge comes in. Raw points tell you who was good. Baseline deltas tell you who actually beat expectation — and who failed to live up to their role.
Explore the Slate Further
For deeper analysis, player logs, and interactive filtering: