ORL 131, SAC 94: Banchero Stars With 53 ESPN FP
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician ยท Boston Celtics fan
Magic Absolutely Demolished Sacramento, And Paolo Banchero Is Back In Full Swing
Final: Magic 131, Kings 94
Look, I'm gonna be real with you. That wasn't a basketball game. That was a public execution. The Magic came into Sacramento and turned this into a shooting gallery, and if you had the right guys on your roster, you made some serious fantasy money tonight.
Let's start with the table:
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero | 53.0 | 48.0 | 30/5/6 | 21.5/8.3/4.8 | +8.5 |
| Maxime Raynaud | 44.0 | 41.8 | 17/14/4 | 10.0/6.8/1.1 | +7.0 |
| Precious Achiuwa | 46.0 | 41.3 | 14/9/1 | 7.3/5.5/1.1 | +6.7 |
| Anthony Black | 46.0 | 36.1 | 20/3/3 | 16.1/4.0/4.0 | +3.9 |
| Desmond Bane | 42.0 | 33.8 | 17/4/2 | 19.6/4.2/4.1 | -2.6 |
| Devin Carter | 23.0 | 29.0 | 11/5/4 | 6.3/2.3/2.0 | +4.7 |
| Keegan Murray | 27.0 | 27.6 | 15/8/2 | 14.6/6.2/1.6 | +0.4 |
| DeMar DeRozan | 22.0 | 25.6 | 13/3/6 | 18.6/3.2/3.8 | -5.6 |
| Jevon Carter | 32.0 | 25.6 | 14/3/4 | 5.5/1.2/0.9 | +8.5 |
| Moritz Wagner | 21.0 | 22.9 | 11/2/3 | 9.4/3.1/0.7 | +1.6 |
Paolo Is Back. Stop Benching Him.
Paolo Banchero just dropped 30/5/6 on 10-21 shooting with five threes. 48 Yahoo fantasy points. That's 8.5 points above his season average, and honestly, that's the floor you should expect from him going forward.
Look, I get it. The injury history makes you nervous. He was out there in just 32 minutes, which means the Magic were up so much they didn't need to run him into the ground. That's actually good news. It means when he's healthy, he can go longer and put up even bigger numbers. If you've been holding him on your bench because you're worried, stop. Start him every night. He's a top-40 player when healthy, and tonight proved he's ready.
Maxime Raynaud: The Surprise Package
Maxime Raynaud put up 17/14/4 with a steal in 38 minutes. That's 41.8 Yahoo points, +7 above his season average. Here's the thing though, he shot 8-13 and didn't take a single three. He was just efficient as hell down low, and Sacramento's defense was so bad that it didn't matter.
Is he someone you can trust going forward? Kinda. He's getting minutes and he's a rebounder in a system that gets him opportunities. But he's not a must-start guy in most leagues. If you're in a deep 14-team league, he's worth holding. In 10-team? Probably not. The ownership barely moved (actually went down slightly), so this isn't some big breakout narrative. More like a good night in a blowout.
Precious Achiuwa Is The Real Waiver Add
Precious Achiuwa is the one I'm actually interested in. 14/9/1 with 4 steals and 2 blocks in 33 minutes. 41.3 Yahoo points. He shot 7-11, which is elite efficiency, and he was flying around on defense like he had something to prove.
The ownership barely moved (+0.2%), and he's only at 1.4% owned. If he's on your waiver wire, pick him up right now. He's getting minutes in an uptempo system, and if this blowout gets him more confidence, he could be a solid depth piece. The steals were real too, not a fluke. That's actual defensive impact.
Anthony Black Had a Solid Night But Don't Get Carried Away
Anthony Black went 20/3/3 with three steals and 4 threes. 36.1 Yahoo points, +3.9 above his average. Good game. His ownership went up 0.4%, which is basically nothing. The question is whether this is repeatable or if the Magic just ran up the score so much that his role expanded.
Real answer? Probably a little bit of both. He's a solid bench player in 12-team leagues, but I wouldn't burn a high waiver priority on him. He's already owned in almost every league anyway.
Desmond Bane Underperformed, But Don't Panic Yet
Desmond Bane shot 6-9 from three and dropped 17 points, but his scoring was down compared to his season average (19.6 ppg), and his assists were low at just 2. He put up 33.8 Yahoo points, which is fine, but -2.6 vs his average. He's still 96.9% owned, so he's in your lineup regardless. One bad night in a blowout? Not worth the stress. He's been solid all season. We're not overreacting.
The Kings Got Embarrassed And Nobody Covered Themselves In Glory
DeMar DeRozan was the only King worth mentioning, and he still underperformed. 13/3/6 in just 19 minutes. -5.6 vs his season average. He shot 3-11, which is trash, and he was basically non-existent. This is a one-game blip. Don't panic if you own him. Sacramento's whole team just got manhandled.
Keegan Murray was fine (15/8/2) but basically right at his season average. Devin Carter actually beat his expectations with the extra steals, so at least there's that. But honestly? Sacramento didn't show up. This game doesn't tell you much about their actual fantasy value.
The Bottom Line
If you had Paolo, Raynaud, or Achiuwa, you had a really good night. If you didn't, well, at least now you know who to target on waivers. This was a classic blowout where the Magic's bench guys and role players got garbage time minutes and put up numbers.
The only real action item here is Achiuwa on waivers. Everyone else is either already owned or not worth the hassle. And if you own Paolo and you've been benching him, get him in your lineup immediately. He's healthy, he's got the green light, and he just proved he can still go off.
That's the week, folks.