POR 135, UTA 119: Clingan's 64.1 Yahoo FP Eruption
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student · Dallas Mavericks fan
Blazers Wire Portland Over Utah 135-119: Holiday and Clingan Put On a Clinic
Trail Blazers just turned Salt Lake City into a shooting gallery and it was beautiful to watch. Jrue Holiday and Donovan Clingan absolutely went off, combining for 115.4 Yahoo FP and basically punching their own ticket to the win. Portland's depth is quietly nasty this season, and after watching this one, I'm getting even more convinced they're way deeper than people realize.
Let me break down who ate and what it means for your lineups.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan Clingan | 69.0 | 64.1 | 23/18/7 | 11.4/11.4/2.0 | +11.6 |
| Jrue Holiday | 59.0 | 51.3 | 31/9/7 | 15.1/4.5/6.5 | +15.9 |
| Kyle Filipowski | 52.0 | 46.3 | 15/9/3 | 9.6/6.6/2.0 | +5.4 |
| Isaiah Collier | 34.0 | 35.9 | 15/2/9 | 10.3/2.6/7.4 | +4.7 |
| John Konchar | 35.0 | 33.9 | 6/7/3 | 3.0/3.0/1.4 | +3.0 |
| Toumani Camara | 35.0 | 33.1 | 14/8/3 | 13.1/5.3/2.6 | +0.9 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | 30.0 | 31.8 | 28/4/0 | 12.3/2.9/1.6 | +15.7 |
| Ace Bailey | 21.0 | 25.1 | 15/8/3 | 11.6/3.8/1.7 | +3.4 |
| Vít Krejčí | 26.0 | 25.0 | 11/5/2 | 9.1/2.0/1.5 | +1.9 |
| Jerami Grant | 20.0 | 23.6 | 18/3/0 | 18.8/3.5/2.4 | -0.8 |
The Holiday Double-Dip: 31 Points, 7 Assists, Real Minutes
Holiday put up 31 points on 10-15 shooting with 7 dimes and four threes. That's 51.3 Yahoo FP in just 32 minutes. Here's the thing though, this wasn't some crazy career night where he shot 70% from three or something. He was efficient but not absurd. 10-15 from the field is nice. What got me was the +15.9 points vs his season average of 15.1 PPG. So yeah, he went off, but for Holiday this is who he is when he's healthy and getting run.
The All-NBA Second Team guard is a certified bucket and if you have him, you're not selling low. But also, don't expect 31 points every night. What you can expect is around 15 points on solid efficiency with 6-7 assists when everything's rolling. Portland needs him to be this guy down the stretch, and so far so good.
Clingan's Monster: 23/18/7 in 31 Minutes
Donovan Clingan absolutely feasted in the paint. 23 points, 18 rebounds (!!!), 7 assists, and he only played 31 minutes. That's ridiculous efficiency. 8-12 from the field, 7-9 from the line. This is a guy putting up +11.6 vs his 11.4 PPG average while adding nearly seven extra boards.
Here's what's wild: Clingan's season average is 11.4/11.4/2.0. Tonight he was 23/18/7. That's not just a good game, that's him unlocking another level. The rebounding especially is the thing to watch. His season average sits at 11.4 boards per game, so 18 is a massive spike. Could be the matchup, could be Utah's bigs being depleted, could just be Clingan being aggressive on the glass.
If you own him, don't get cute. Clingan is locked into your lineup every night. This performance validates everything about him as a late-round value pick who keeps producing.
The Sensabaugh Surprise: 28 Points on Mediocre Efficiency
Brice Sensabaugh is interesting. 28 points sounds bananas until you look at the shooting: 8-19 from the field with five threes. That's 42% shooting. Still solid, don't get me wrong, but not elite. The volume was there though, 35 minutes played and he was hunting shots. That's +15.7 vs his 12.3 season average.
Here's my take: Sensabaugh's a bench scorer who occasionally goes nuclear. Tonight was one of those nights where the green light was out and he took full advantage. But this isn't sustainable at this volume. In 12-team leagues if someone dropped him thinking he's mid tier now, that's overthinking. Stay put if you have him, add him in deeper leagues only if you have space, but don't expect 28 points every outing.
Utah's Role Players Held It Down (For Utah)
Kyle Filipowski put together a real game: 15/9/3 with six steals on 6-9 shooting. That's 46.3 Yahoo FP and he's clearly trending up. He's only averaging 9.6/6.6/2.0 on the season, so +5.4 points is legit. Filipowski looks like a dude who's finally getting consistent minutes and using them. In 14+ team leagues, he's worth eyeing.
Isaiah Collier ran the offense with 15/2/9 and three steals in 36 minutes. The assists were there, the steals were there, shooting was meh (3-8) but he made up for it at the line (9-12). This is who Collier is, a facilitator who doesn't put up counting stats. He's fine if you need depth at PG but don't expect scoring.
The Ace Bailey Moment
Ace Bailey has been getting the ownership bump and I see why. 15/8/3 in 34 minutes is solid contribution. His season average sits at 11.6/3.8/1.7, so he was +3.4 in scoring and +4.2 in boards. The kid's getting run and making the most of it. Ownership is now at 34.7% and climbing after this game.
Real talk: I'd add Bailey in 12-team leagues if he's still available. He's not a league winner but he's the kind of depth piece that wins you weeks when your studs have off nights. Utah's clearly giving him minutes and he's not wasting them.
What This Means Going Forward
Portland just showed their ceiling without some of their guys. Utah was down key pieces and still kept it somewhat competitive for stretches. But when Holiday and Clingan get going, Portland wins games decisively.
If you have either of those dudes, you're sitting pretty. If you're looking to add, Bailey is the most interesting target after this performance. Don't reach, but monitor him. Filipowski is the other name to keep an eye on for deep league activity.
Sensabaugh was fun tonight but expect regression. That's just the nature of bench scoring variance.
One more thing, fair warning to my roommate Marcus who has Jerami Grant rostered: dude went 7-17 for 18 points. Didn't help you much. Still love the player, but tonight was mid. He'll bounce back.