POR 122, SAC 110: Achiuwa's Big Night Wasted in SAC Defeat
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Jasmine "Jazz" Porter
University Student ยท Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Blazers Escape with Dub, But the Real Story is Sacramento's Bench Going Nuclear
Trail Blazers 122, Kings 110 might look like a normal win on the surface, but fantasy managers need to pay attention to what actually happened here. Sacramento got absolutely cooked by their own depth chart, Portland's role players stepped up when it mattered, and there are some serious waiver wire moves to make right now.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precious Achiuwa | 41.0 | 47.2 | 27/11/4 | 10.1/6.7/1.4 | +16.9 |
| Deni Avdija | 48.0 | 44.2 | 25/6/10 | 24.2/6.9/6.7 | +0.8 |
| Maxime Raynaud | 47.0 | 40.8 | 21/9/2 | 12.5/7.5/1.4 | +8.5 |
| Nique Clifford | 44.0 | 38.9 | 24/7/5 | 8.6/3.8/2.4 | +15.4 |
| Jrue Holiday | 31.0 | 34.9 | 23/7/3 | 16.3/4.6/6.1 | +6.7 |
| Devin Carter | 27.0 | 34.2 | 8/6/8 | 8.9/3.3/2.7 | -0.9 |
| Donovan Clingan | 30.0 | 28.5 | 13/10/1 | 12.1/11.6/2.1 | +0.9 |
| Robert Williams III | 32.0 | 28.5 | 6/10/1 | 6.7/7.0/1.0 | -0.7 |
| Kris Murray | 34.0 | 27.3 | 9/4/3 | 5.8/3.6/1.4 | +3.2 |
| Scoot Henderson | 29.0 | 26.4 | 15/2/4 | 14.2/2.7/3.7 | +0.8 |
The Sacramento Catastrophe: When Your Stars No-Show
Okay, so the Kings got absolutely embarrassed by a Trail Blazers team that should've been walking to this one. But here's the thing, fantasy managers, this wasn't about Portland being brilliant. This was about Sacramento's stars vanishing. Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray all DNP-CD'd or didn't travel with the team. That's half your Kings roster just gone.
Which means everyone else got minutes they're not used to. And some of them absolutely went nuclear.
Precious Achiuwa is NOW a Must-Add
Look at Precious Achiuwa's line: 27/11/4 in 35 minutes. That's 47.2 Yahoo fantasy points. His season average is 10.1/6.7/1.4. Let me say that again. He was +16.9 points from his season average. This isn't a fluke performance, this is what happens when a guy finally gets real minutes and the offense flows through him.
He's already jumped to 41.5% owned on ESPN (up 1.8%), but if you're in a league where he's sitting there, you add him today. Not tomorrow, not after waivers process, today. He just showed he can put up 27 points on decent efficiency (10-21 FG) and grab 11 boards. In a Kings rotation where half the team is missing, he's going to eat.
The Bench Stepped Up for Sacramento
Maxime Raynaud had himself a game too. 21/9/2 with three 3s in 37 minutes? That's 40.8 Yahoo FP, +8.5 from his average. He's been solid all season (12.5 PPG) but tonight he looked like the third option Sacramento needed him to be.
And Nique Clifford just put together a 24-point, 7-rebound line on 10-13 shooting. 38.9 Yahoo points. The guy's averaging 8.6 PPG and he just went full different player. Both these guys got opportunities because Sacramento was down bodies, but they made the most of it.
The problem? I have no idea if this is real or a one-game flash in the pan. Raynaud has been consistent all year, so I'm less worried about him. But Clifford and Achiuwa? They just proved they can produce when given the chance. If Sacramento keeps these guys in the lineup rotation going forward, they're league adds. If it's just a one-off, then forget about it.
Portland's Role Players Delivered When It Mattered
While Sacramento was falling apart, Portland got contributions from exactly the guys you'd want. Deni Avdija (24.2 PPG season average) had a quiet night by his standards, 25/6/10, but he hit his shots and ran the offense. That's just baseline competent play from an All-NBA-caliber player.
Jrue Holiday went 23/7/3, +6.7 from his average. That's the kind of pick-and-roll scoring punch you need in the clutch. He finished efficiently (8-18 from the field) and didn't turn it over (only 1 TO in 32 minutes). Portland's guard depth is real.
Kris Murray chipped in 9/4/3 with three steals in 30 minutes. Low volume, but efficient. Robert Williams III grabbed 10 boards in just 22 minutes, which is the kind of per-minute dominance that tells you he's going to keep getting minutes when healthy.
Who Actually Flopped Tonight
Scoot Henderson got 27 minutes and put up 6-12 from the field for 15 points. Not terrible, but not exactly inspiring when your team just won by 12. Shaedon Sharpe was even worse, 9 points on 3-11 shooting. Both guys got minutes against a decimated defense and underperformed relative to what you'd want.
Devin Carter had the box score that looked good on paper (8/6/8 with 2 steals) but he shot 3-14 from the field. That's a guy getting opportunities and not converting. In a game where Sacramento needed everything to work, he misfired.
The Reality Check
This game matters for fantasy because it showed us something about depth. Precious Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud proved they can produce in real minutes. That's actionable. But Sacramento's injuries also exposed how fragile their fantasy value is when the stars sit.
For Portland, this was just another dub. Their core (Avdija, Holiday) performed at baseline level and won. Not sexy, but reliable.
The waiver wire move here is simple, Achiuwa. 41.5% owned already, but if he's available in your league, he's a top-priority add. He just became Sacramento's third option whether they like it or not.