SAC 114, IND 109: Aaron Nesmith Can't Save IND Despite 41.3 Yahoo FP
Hiro Tanaka
Physical Therapy Assistant ยท Los Angeles Lakers fan
Kings Survive Close One as Nesmith Goes Absolutely Nuclear
Final: Pacers 109, Kings 114
This was a weird one. Sacramento scraped by with a five-point win, but the real story isn't about the Kings' victory. It's about Aaron Nesmith having one of those games where he just couldn't miss, and a bunch of role players stepping up because apparently half of both rosters decided to take the night off.
Let me break down what actually happened here.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Nesmith | 43.0 | 41.3 | 29/4/3 | 13.1/4.5/2.1 | +15.9 |
| Maxime Raynaud | 40.0 | 39.2 | 18/11/2 | 11.0/7.3/1.2 | +7.0 |
| Russell Westbrook | 39.0 | 36.9 | 16/7/9 | 15.5/5.4/6.5 | +0.5 |
| Kam Jones | 45.0 | 36.3 | 14/4/9 | 4.4/1.5/2.6 | +9.6 |
| Devin Carter | 43.0 | 35.5 | 24/5/3 | 6.8/2.6/2.1 | +17.2 |
| Killian Hayes | 27.0 | 26.8 | 8/4/4 | 3.1/1.9/3.4 | +4.9 |
| Nique Clifford | 21.0 | 25.0 | 12/5/2 | 7.4/3.5/1.9 | +4.6 |
| Obi Toppin | 23.0 | 24.5 | 17/5/1 | 8.0/4.4/1.6 | +9.0 |
| DeMar DeRozan | 20.0 | 24.1 | 12/3/1 | 18.1/3.0/3.8 | -6.1 |
| Jay Huff | 21.0 | 23.9 | 12/7/3 | 9.4/3.9/1.4 | +2.6 |
Nesmith Put on a Clinic
Aaron Nesmith dropped 29 points on 10-22 shooting with perfect free throw form (7-7). That's 41.3 Yahoo FP, good for the night's top spot. Here's the thing though: he's a 13.1 PPG guy normally. Tonight he was +15.9 points above his season average. That's not a sustainable level.
Don't get me wrong, he cooked. Perfect FT shooting is real, and 10 makes from the field is solid volume. But this feels like a hot night rather than a breakout. You hold him if you got him, but don't suddenly think he's a 25 PPG player now. The Pacers missing like half their roster might've opened up some extra opportunities too.
The Bench Came to Party
Devin Carter is trending at +2.5% ownership right now, and after tonight's 24-point, 5-rebound line in just 16 minutes, I kinda get why. He was +17.2 above his season average, which is absurd. But here's my PT perspective on this one: bench guys who go off in five-point wins on a night when the star players are sitting usually come back to earth fast. Carter played garbage time minutes. Don't chase it.
Obi Toppin (17/5 in 14 min) is another bench story. Same deal. He's getting run because of who's missing, not because he's suddenly cracked the rotation code.
Kam Jones though, that's different. 14/4/9 with four threes in 26 minutes suggests someone actually gave him real minutes. +9.6 above his season average is solid, and the 9 assists tell me he wasn't just padding stats. If the Pacers keep running him with more minutes going forward, he's worth monitoring.
Westbrook Stayed Chill
Russell Westbrook for Sacramento put up 16/7/9 in 25 minutes with 2 threes. That's exactly what you expect from him right now. He was +0.5 above his season average, which means he played to his typical standard. No story here, just a steady game.
The Silent Killer: DeRozan Underperformed
DeMar DeRozan going 12 points on 4-13 shooting while averaging 18.1 is a real problem. He was -6.1 below his season average. On a night when bench guys were eating, one of your expected contributors came up short. If he's on your team, you watch his next game carefully. One clunker isn't a panic, but back-to-backs would worry me.
Raynaud's Real Performance
Maxime Raynaud went 18/11 with solid shooting (8-15 FG). That's +7.0 above his season average, which actually looks legit compared to the bench explosions. He got 33 minutes and stayed on the court. If Sacramento's got some depth issues coming up, Raynaud might get consistent work. The +7.0 is sustainable if the minutes stick.
Bottom Line
Sacramento won a game it probably shouldn't have won smoothly because a bunch of role players caught fire while Indiana was running on fumes. Nesmith had a great shooting night but don't overreact. Carter and Toppin benefited from garbage time. Jones might actually be worth tracking for real minutes.
The ownership bump on Achiuwa (+2.5%) feels premature. He grabbed 7 boards in 19 minutes, but that's not enough to count on for consistent fantasy production.
This was a weird one. Enjoy the performances but don't rebuild your roster around it.