PHX 114, SAC 103: Westbrook Outduels Collin Gillespie in Fantasy Showdown
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Jasmine "Jazz" Porter
University Student ยท Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Suns Edge Kings in Defensive Grind, but the Real Story Is Who Stepped Up
Phoenix 114, Sacramento 103. Not exactly a thriller, but there's plenty to unpack for fantasy managers paying attention. The Suns won a slugfest where role players carried the load and bench scoring mattered more than star power. Meanwhile, the Kings got absolutely cooked by their own depth issues.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxime Raynaud | 47.0 | 42.0 | 22/10/4 | 10.4/7.1/1.1 | +11.6 |
| Russell Westbrook | 48.0 | 41.9 | 16/2/7 | 15.2/5.4/6.3 | +0.8 |
| Collin Gillespie | 48.0 | 38.7 | 17/6/9 | 13.5/4.1/4.7 | +3.5 |
| Grayson Allen | 40.0 | 36.6 | 18/3/6 | 17.5/3.1/3.9 | +0.5 |
| Precious Achiuwa | 39.0 | 36.3 | 18/9/1 | 8.1/5.9/1.2 | +9.9 |
| Oso Ighodaro | 36.0 | 36.3 | 14/14/3 | 5.7/4.6/1.9 | +8.3 |
| Jalen Green | 32.0 | 34.3 | 20/4/1 | 12.9/2.9/2.2 | +7.1 |
| Nique Clifford | 31.0 | 32.6 | 10/8/4 | 7.3/3.3/1.9 | +2.7 |
| Devin Booker | 24.0 | 27.8 | 17/4/6 | 24.7/3.9/6.1 | -7.7 |
| Royce O'Neale | 29.0 | 26.3 | 6/4/5 | 10.1/4.9/2.8 | -4.1 |
The Kings' Bench Carried Them (But Lost Anyway)
Let's start with the weirdest stat from this game: Sacramento's role players went absolutely nuclear but still couldn't get the W. Maxime Raynaud posted 22/10/4 for 42 Yahoo points, nearly +12 above his season average. Precious Achiuwa went off for 18/9 on 57% shooting, +9.9 from his usual line. Nique Clifford contributed 10/8/4 despite shooting just 38%, picking up 4 steals to stay relevant.
Here's the problem though: your star players crumbled. Russell Westbrook had 16/2/7 but on 43% FG, and DeMar DeRozan straight up flopped with 17 points on 33% shooting. When your All-NBA MVP-caliber guys underperform and you still need bench guys to go nuclear just to keep it close, that's a recipe for an L. Phoenix had better balance.
Add Precious Achiuwa in 12-team leagues if he's still available. 38 minutes of run is serious and this wasn't a fluke performance. He's getting real opportunity now.
Suns' Guard Depth Was the Difference
Collin Gillespie absolutely cooked from three, dropping 17 points on 6-10 shooting with 5 threes and 9 assists. That's 38.7 Yahoo points for a guy who was probably sitting on waiver wires in your league. Grayson Allen (50.7% owned league-wide, just got added by 1.6%) also showed up with 18/3/6 and hit his threes when it mattered.
The Suns' role player depth is actually legit. When Devin Booker struggles offensively (6-19 FG, -7.7 vs his season average), Phoenix can still win because Jalen Green stepped in with 20 points and 4 steals on solid efficiency. That's winning basketball.
Grayson Allen is worth owning in 10-team and up. Half the league already has him, but if you don't, get him. The Suns actually move the ball and create for multiple scoring options.
Devin Booker's Rough Night (But Don't Panic)
Here's a take: Devin Booker had a genuinely bad game and it only cost him 7.8 points from his season average. 6-19 FG is unacceptable, but he still found 6 assists and stayed calm. This is what happens with All-NBA players who get doubled and still don't force it. Could be worse, honestly.
That said, monitor this. If Booker keeps playing this way, there's something deeper going on. One game? Meaningless. Two, three games of 6-19 FG splits? Then we panic. For now, this is noise.
The Weird Outliners
Oso Ighodaro dropped 14/14/3 on 70% FG in just 25 minutes. That's 36.3 Yahoo points off the bench. Who even is this guy? Grab him off waivers if he's there, but be realistic. Centers don't consistently go 14/14 against NBA defense. This was a spot-up opportunity, not a pattern.
Royce O'Neale underwhelmed with 6/4/5 (-4.1 vs season average) despite hitting two threes. He's fine, just didn't have his best game. Still valuable for steals and three-point floor.
The Bottom Line
Sacramento's bench bailed them out individually but it wasn't enough. Phoenix's depth and guard play won this game. For fantasy purposes, you're looking at Gillespie and Allen as guys you should be adding, Achiuwa as a legit contributor if available, and Green showing he's worth rostering for this Phoenix team.
Booker's quiet game isn't a crisis. Russell Westbrook is still a fantasy asset despite the rough FG%. But if you're the Kings, you can't be this dependent on career bench production to keep games competitive. That's not sustainable.
Stay ready for waivers tomorrow morning.