Wilson wins the grades, but our index splits from the reference in Chicago

Our verdict opens with Caleb Wilson: 7.7, the top grade of the night, built on 30 points and 14 rebounds in a losing effort — and the reference rating of 8.0 keeps the peace there. The friction sits with Josh Giddey. Ten assists and eight rebounds lifted the reference to 8.2, but our 6.9 weighs his 0.219 scoring component and 0.203 defensive mark; playmaking at a perfect 1.0 cannot carry a grade on our index alone.

That gap is the story of the night: Carrington finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist and no defensive production, yet the reference still had him at 6.7. Tre Johnson (5.4 vs 6.9) and Jalen Smith (5.2 vs 6.7) also ran hot against us. On the winning side, Kyshawn George's 7.1 and Justin Champagnie's 7.0 trail their references, Trae Young's 25 points and 9 assists stall at 6.9 with a 0.0 defensive component, and Anthony Davis sits at 6.3.