POR 123, WAS 88: Toumani Camara Notches 47 ESPN FP
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician ยท Boston Celtics fan
Portland Absolutely Cooked Washington, and Fantasy Managers Need to Notice
35 points. That's what the Trail Blazers won by. This wasn't a game, it was a demolition job. And while blowouts usually make for boring fantasy content, this one had some genuinely interesting wrinkles that'll matter for your lineups going forward.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toumani Camara | 47.0 | 40.9 | 23/7/1 | 12.9/5.2/2.5 | +10.1 |
| Deni Avdija | 35.0 | 37.9 | 20/7/5 | 23.9/6.9/6.7 | -3.9 |
| Scoot Henderson | 35.0 | 33.1 | 21/3/7 | 13.7/2.8/3.8 | +7.3 |
| Julian Reese | 19.0 | 28.6 | 8/13/4 | 12.0/10.7/1.5 | -4.0 |
| Donovan Clingan | 33.0 | 28.5 | 6/5/1 | 12.3/11.8/2.1 | -6.3 |
| Will Riley | 25.0 | 22.7 | 14/1/1 | 9.3/2.7/1.8 | +4.7 |
| Robert Williams III | 25.0 | 21.7 | 4/6/1 | 6.8/6.9/1.0 | -2.8 |
| Matisse Thybulle | 25.0 | 21.0 | 10/5/2 | 5.3/1.9/0.8 | +4.7 |
| Tristan Vukcevic | 21.0 | 18.4 | 10/2/0 | 8.7/3.0/1.1 | +1.3 |
| Bub Carrington | 13.0 | 18.4 | 11/2/4 | 10.3/3.5/4.5 | +0.7 |
The Camara Explosion: Is This Real?
Look, I'm not one to freak out over one big game. But Toumani Camara just put up 40.9 Yahoo points while sitting at a 23.9 season average. That's not noise. That's a +10.1 point swing, and it came with elite efficiency: 8-14 from the field and 4 threes in just 28 minutes.
Here's the thing though. Camara's been getting consistent run all season, and this is the first time he's blown up like this. The game script helped (Portland was up big early, which extended his minutes and let him play loose), but the shot-making was legit. Four threes from a guy who's been a non-factor from distance? That's either a turning point or a blip.
I'm leaning blip for now. But if he's available in your league, watch him for one more game before grabbing him. If he follows this up with another 35-point night, then we're talking about a rotation player who finally found his role.
Scoot Henderson Putting Dudes On Notice
Scoot Henderson went for 33.1 Yahoo points (21/3/7) and the really wild part is how clean the game was. Eight free throw attempts and he nailed seven of them. That's not how young guards usually cook, but Henderson's been steady all season, and this was just him playing in a rhythm.
The assists number (7) is more interesting than the scoring number here. If Henderson starts averaging 5-6 dimes instead of his 3.8 season average, that's a real player development story. At 24 minutes though, he's not eating starter minutes, so there's a ceiling on the upside unless someone gets hurt.
The Wizards Side: Nobody Showed Up and That's the Story
This is the opposite of Portland's performance. Julian Reese grabbed 13 boards in 38 minutes (only 8 points though, 4-12 from the field), and he was basically the only Wizard who tried. 28.6 Yahoo points on a game where his team got steamrolled tells you everything. He got volume because Washington was desperate and down constantly. His rebounding is real (that +2.3 vs his 10.7 average), but I'm not adding him based on this. This is what happens when your team sucks.
Will Riley had a solid night (14/1/1 with 5-5 from free throw range), but again, garbage time fantasy points in a 35-point loss aren't as bankable as they look. He hit free throws and that's it. If he's owned at 50% in your league, that's probably too high unless you know something about Washington's rotation I don't.
The Real Issue: Where Are the Wizards' Stars?
This box score should terrify anyone holding Wizards players. No Alex Sarr, no Anthony Davis, no Trae Young. The data says they averaged significant minutes this season, so something's off. Is this rest? Injury? Before you panic trade these guys away, figure out what happened. But if they're actually hurt or in a doghouse situation, the waiver adds like Bub Carrington (18.4 Yahoo points) might actually have a pulse going forward.
Bilal Coulibaly was absolutely dreadful (2-14 from the field, -7.5 vs his 11.5 average), which is fine because this is a one-game sample in a blowout. Don't overreact.
The Bottom Line
Portland's a legit team when they get healthy. Camara's emergence is worth monitoring, and if Scoot keeps getting 6-7 assists per game, he's a buy-low candidate. For the Wizards, figure out where their stars went before making any lineup decisions based on tonight. And if you grabbed any Trail Blazers role players off waivers expecting volume, take the win and don't overthink it.