WAS 116, SAC 112: Dynamic Duo: LaVine (47.7) and DeRozan (41.9) Yahoo FP
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Wizards Edge Kings in Overtime, Riley and Bagley Steal the Show
116-112, final. Wizards took this one in a game that had absolutely no business being this entertaining on a random February night, but here we are. And look, I'm still salty about the Hawks getting neither of these teams, but this box score tells a story fantasy managers need to pay attention to.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach LaVine | 51.0 | 47.7 | 35/6/3 | 19.8/2.8/2.3 | +15.2 |
| DeMar DeRozan | 46.0 | 41.9 | 32/2/5 | 19.2/3.2/3.9 | +12.8 |
| Will Riley | 39.0 | 36.2 | 18/6/6 | 5.9/2.0/1.4 | +12.1 |
| Skal Labissiere | 39.0 | 32.4 | 13/7/2 | 6.5/4.0/1.0 | +6.5 |
| Marvin Bagley III | 40.0 | 30.0 | 15/5/2 | 10.1/5.6/1.5 | +4.9 |
| Maxime Raynaud | 29.0 | 26.7 | 14/6/1 | 9.6/6.5/1.0 | +4.4 |
| Bilal Coulibaly | 29.0 | 25.7 | 15/1/3 | 9.9/4.7/2.6 | +5.1 |
| Nique Clifford | 22.0 | 20.6 | 6/3/4 | 5.7/3.0/1.3 | +0.3 |
| AJ Johnson | 18.0 | 20.2 | 17/1/4 | 2.3/1.1/0.8 | +14.7 |
| Jamir Watkins | 17.0 | 18.2 | 8/6/0 | 3.8/3.6/0.7 | +4.2 |
The Kings' Scoring Machine Broke Down When It Mattered Most
Zach LaVine (47.7 Yahoo FP) came to drop buckets and he dropped them. 35 points on 13-26 shooting is the kind of volume you dream about from your scoring guard, and he didn't even need to get fancy. That's just efficient, take-what-the-defense-gives-you basketball. He went nuclear against the Wizards' perimeter defense and honestly, he should have won this game.
But here's the thing about LaVine: he's been sitting at 19.8 PPG all season, so this 35-point explosion is real and reproducible. If the Kings can get him this many looks consistently, he's locked into your lineups as a must-play. The issue is they couldn't close.
DeMar DeRozan (41.9 Yahoo FP) showed up too with 32 points on stupidly efficient 10-16 shooting. The mid-range specialist did what he does best, hitting tough looks and getting to the line. 11-12 from the stripe tells you he was aggressive and getting fouled, which is exactly the scoring narrative you want from him. At 19.2 PPG on the season, this was him playing at his ceiling, and it still wasn't enough.
The problem? The supporting cast got exposed. Maxime Raynaud (26.7 Yahoo FP) put up solid bench production with 14/6/1, but the Kings needed more from their other pieces and nobody stepped up. Precious Achiuwa (8.8 Yahoo FP) barely played, only 9 minutes, and when he did get on the court he went 2-7. That's a drop candidate right there. Only 1.7% owned anyway, so if you've got him, let him go.
Will Riley Changed the Game, and Not by Accident
This is the move that matters for your waiver wire. Will Riley (36.2 Yahoo FP) went 18/6/6 with 4 threes in 30 minutes, smashing his season average by 12 points. He's averaging 5.9 PPG on the season. This wasn't a one-off.
Look at his shooting splits: 6-15 from the field, 4-3PM, 2-2 from the line. That's balanced scoring. That's a guy who knows his role and executed it perfectly. 30 minutes of meaningful basketball, not garbage time. The Wizards trusted him down the stretch, which is exactly what you want to see from a bench player in a close game.
Riley should absolutely be on waivers this week in 12-team leagues. He's only 2.8% owned, which is criminal if he's getting this kind of run. The Wizards clearly see something they like, and when a team with playoff aspirations gives a role player 30 minutes in a close game, you don't ignore it.
The Deep Bench Went Bananas
AJ Johnson (20.2 Yahoo FP) putting up 17 points off the bench was genuinely weird. Averaging 2.3 PPG on the season and suddenly he's dropping 17/1/4? That's the kind of game where a bench guy gets hot and the team rides it. Could be real, could be an outlier. I'd need to see it again before I'm adding him permanently, but if you've got the bench spot, throw a waiver claim on him.
Skal Labissiere (32.4 Yahoo FP) and Marvin Bagley III (30.0 Yahoo FP) both outperformed expectations, but here's the real story. Bagley shot 7-7 from the field. Seven for seven. That's not sustainable, that's a weird game. He's still only averaging 10.1 PPG, so this was him having the perfect night. Don't panic buy on one game.
Labissiere at least showed consistent production with 13/7/2 and solid efficiency (6-8 FG). That beats his season average more believably than Bagley's perfect night does, but both are floor guys who had career games. Respect it, note it, don't blow your waiver budget on it.
The Takeaway
This game was loud and close and entertaining, which is great for basketball fans and terrible for waiver clarity. LaVine and DeRozan proved they can carry scoring loads. Will Riley proved he deserves minutes. Most of the other outperformers are one-game wonders who'll be back to regular production next week.
The only real add is Riley. Everything else is noise.