LAC 138, SAC 109: Cardwell Tops Scoring Fest
Tyler Okonkwo
Student & Retail Associate ยท Houston Rockets fan
Clippers Blow Out Kings 138-109: Depth Wins, But Watch the Inconsistency
The Clippers turned this into a wire-to-wire blowout, and while that's good for their playoff positioning, it created a weird fantasy night. Deep benches went off, role players got extended run, and some of your studs either underdelivered or came off the bench. Let's break what actually matters for your roster.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Cardwell | 52.0 | 42.6 | 15/8/2 | 5.3/7.5/1.4 | +9.7 |
| Devin Carter | 36.0 | 37.5 | 21/5/5 | 8.5/3.1/2.4 | +12.5 |
| John Collins | 39.0 | 36.8 | 25/4/2 | 13.7/5.2/1.0 | +11.3 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 39.0 | 36.7 | 26/6/3 | 28.0/6.3/3.6 | -2.0 |
| Maxime Raynaud | 31.0 | 36.0 | 11/15/2 | 12.1/7.5/1.3 | -1.1 |
| Nique Clifford | 37.0 | 34.5 | 18/5/5 | 8.2/3.7/2.3 | +9.8 |
| Kris Dunn | 41.0 | 33.2 | 13/6/4 | 7.5/3.3/3.6 | +5.5 |
| Darius Garland | 35.0 | 31.8 | 17/4/6 | 18.9/2.4/6.8 | -1.9 |
| Kobe Sanders | 40.0 | 30.5 | 17/0/1 | 7.1/2.2/1.6 | +9.9 |
| Jordan Miller | 38.0 | 28.4 | 13/2/6 | 9.8/3.0/2.2 | +3.2 |
The Real Winners: Bench Role Players Had a Field Day
Dylan Cardwell went absolutely nuclear off the bench for Sacramento, dropping 42.6 Yahoo FP on 15 points, 8 boards, and 4 blocks in 27 minutes. That's plus-9.7 points versus his season average, and he was efficient (7-8 from the field). Here's the thing though, your group chat is probably already eyeing him on waivers. That's good instinct, but reality check: he's getting 27 minutes because the Kings were getting demolished. Once this game normalizes, you're looking at a 10-15 minute backup. Don't overcommit.
John Collins was the other big story for the Clippers. 25 points on 9-20 shooting with 4 threes in just 23 minutes is absolutely vintage "role player goes off in a blowout" energy. He finished with 36.8 Yahoo FP, nearly 12 points better than his season average. Again, the minutes ceiling here is what it is. Don't trade for him expecting this every night.
Nique Clifford (34.5 Yahoo FP) and Devin Carter (37.5 Yahoo FP) both exceeded their season scoring averages by nearly 10 points. Carter went 21/5/5 in 36 minutes, which is legitimately interesting. That's close to a starting point guard workload for Sacramento. Worth monitoring whether Malik Monk losing minutes is permanent or just a blowout thing.
Who Actually Disappointed
Kawhi Leonard (39.0 ESPN FP, 36.7 Yahoo FP) put up 26/6/3 but was slightly under his season average in points. Reigning MVP-era star Kawhi is supposed to dominate, and he did contribute, but in a 29-point blowout, you wanted him closer to 30+ points. His 9-18 shooting tells you the Clippers didn't need to lean on him hard. This is fine for a playoff team managing workload, but if you have him, you know some nights will look quiet because the game script doesn't require him to go off.
Darius Garland finished with 31.8 Yahoo FP but went 7-14 from the field. His 17 points and 6 assists were solid, but minus-1.9 versus his season average shows he wasn't his usual self. Kobe Sanders (30.5 Yahoo FP) was wild in a different way: 17 points on 5-8 shooting with 4 threes, but zero rebounds. That's not sustainable for a big. He got run because the game was over.
The Kings Got Exposed (And Your Waiver Wire Moves)
Sacramento got worked. Maxime Raynaud grabbed 15 boards, which is excellent, but he only scored 11 points and his overall fantasy output (36.0 Yahoo FP) was barely above average. Precious Achiuwa (13.0 Yahoo FP) saw limited action at 20 minutes. The Kings' depth got exposed when the starters couldn't keep pace.
Here's what matters for your league: Precious Achiuwa is being added at a +1.1% rate because people think he's the move in Sacramento. Don't be that guy. He played 20 minutes in a blowout loss. Unless there's an injury I'm not seeing, his minutes will normalize. The real concern in Sacramento is that DeMar DeRozan (11.0 Yahoo FP) only got 10 minutes. That's either injury, foul trouble, or the Kings waving the white flag early. Check the injury report.
The ownership data shows Ace Bailey and Deandre Ayton are being widely added league-wide, but that's not from this game. Bam Adebayo and OG Anunoby are being dropped, which makes sense if people are looking to consolidate roster spots at the deadline.
Bottom Line
This was a blowout that inflated bench role player numbers. Dylan Cardwell, John Collins, and Kobe Sanders all had great nights, but don't chase them on waivers thinking this is the new normal. Their minutes and opportunities shrink in competitive games.
Devin Carter is the only guy worth real consideration. 37.5 Yahoo FP on a 36-minute workload with 21/5/5 suggests Sacramento might be leaning on him more. If Malik Monk stays limited, Carter becomes a functional backup point guard with upside.
Kawhi is fine. He didn't need to drop 40 in a 29-point win. That's actually good asset management heading into playoffs.
Watch the injury reports and role clarifications before you make any moves. Blowouts lie.