DeMar DeRozan came into the night needing just nine points to overtake Dominique Wilkins for 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
With the Sacramento Kings playing in Toronto, where DeRozan spent his first nine seasons and is the franchise leader in games played and points, it felt like a fitting setting for him to achieve a milestone.
But it was one of the future Hall of Famer’s quieter halves of the season, with another former Raptor stealing the spotlight.
Precious Achiuwa had one of the best games of his career, with 11 of his 19 rebounds coming on the offensive rebound, along with 28 points on 12/19 shooting.
DeRozan had two points and no made field-goals in the first half, but finished with 28 points and four assists on 7/18 shooting, including 12/12 from the free-throw line to help secure.
That duo was instrumental in Sacramento picking up a 123-115 win to end their five-game road trip 1-4.
The Kings ended their nigth 29 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds and 27 points from the free-throw line on 29 attempts.
Sacramento Kings @ Toronto Raptors Game Notes
Per usual, the Kings’ head coach Doug Christie came into Wednesday night with a significantly undermanned squad.
Domantas Sabonis (knee), Zach LaVine (finger), De’Andre Hunter (eye), and Drew Eubanks (thumb) remain out with season-ending injuries. Keegan Murray (ankle) and Russell Westbrook (toe) were both sidelined as well.
The Raptors were far from healthy, either, with Brandon Ingram (foot), Immanuel Quickley (foot), and Jamison Battle (illness) listed on their injury reports.
Half a game above the seventh seed and the play, but just one game behind the fifth seed with a more favorable postseason matchup, Toronto had plenty to play for.
Sacramento was wrapping up a five-game road trip, still sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Devin Carter, Nique Clifford, DeMar DeRozan, Precious Achiuwa, and Maxime Raynaud started for the Kings against Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Scott Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl.
It was a messy, back-and-forth early, with both teams looking to attack the paint. That focus led to Raynaud tallying two quick fouls, causing fellow rookie Dylan Cardwell to replace him halfway through the opening frame.
Holding off their opposition from scoring for about three minutes, Sacramento wasn’t able to create a notable advantage. Neither side was shooting well from three, and DeRozan was quiet back in his city.
Instead, it was Achiuwa, who played with Toronto from 2021 to 2023, cleaning up plays with offensive rebounds and putbacks. Carter got in on the action too, reminding everyone of his impressive athleticism.
After Malik Monk entered the action, it felt like he took more responsibility to spark the offense than usual. The dynamic guard missed a pair before getting his third shot to fall, with no hesitation to get them up.
‘Lik cookin 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1wESeyriDs
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 2, 2026
That energy and a few defensive stops headlined a 9-0 Sacramento run to take a 27-18 lead. Cardwell’s defense was noticed in place of Raynaud, and he was asked to play an extended stretch.
Monk ended the first half with nine points as his side led 27-22 with five offensive rebounds.
Isolation offense isn’t what Christie usually runs, even if it becomes necessary in late shot-clock scenarios. But it felt like his team found itself in that spot a few times at the start of the second.
Daeqwon Plowden and Doug McDermott tried to add the threat of spacing. Plowden attempted three before his first one went down, all in quick succession.
Clifford found the basketball in good spots, either shooting open looks ot attacking closeouts and finishing around the basket. It was a nice stretch for the rookie who’s had an inconsistent role and season.
Owning a 34-24 lead, the Raptors were clearly missing the scoring production of Ingram and Quickley. Barnes and Barrett were their lone remaining self-creators, and the latter made his mark in the second.
Most of the others came from rookie Collin Murray-Boyles driving to the lane. Both he and Barrett found themselves at the line a healthy amount.
Raynaud returned to action with roughly nine minutes to play, but it was short-lived as Toronto went on a run and Christie went back to Cardwell quickly.
Turnovers left easy opportunities as the Raptors put together an 11-0 run in less than two minutes. Eventually extending that run to 21-3 that spanned just over three minutes, Sacramento found themselves down 45-37 in an offensive drought.
DeRozan had still been quiet up to that point, without a made shot on a few attempts. But it was Achiuwa who felt like the biggest player on the floor, taking over the game.
This Precious celly >>> pic.twitter.com/WCfL4nDpBL
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 2, 2026
Missed shots were swallowed up by the arms of Achiuwa, fighting amongst multiple defenders, only to usually go back up for two points. That happened more than a few times over.
With Cardwell and Raynaud both recording three fouls, Achiuwa played center for the final four minutes of the opening half and continued his tear en route to an 18-3 Kings’ run.
Leading 61-56 at the break, Achiuwa had managed 18 points and 15 rebounds, nine coming on the offensive end. Of Sacramento’s 20 second-chance points, he had half of them.
That kept them alive despite shooting just 41 percent from the field, but they won the possession battle with nearly 20 more field goal attempts than their opponents. Albeit, they did attempt 10 fewer free throws while Toronto was 13/21 from the line, thanks to Murray-Boyles, Poeltl, Barrett, and Barnes.
DeRozan had just two points, both coming on free throws as he was 0/8 from the field. That didn’t last long as he started the third by drawing a contract from beyond the arc. And earned another trip for two more free throws right after.
His first bucket of the night was a mid-range shot that extended him past Wilkins to 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
DeMar DeRozan passes Dominique Wilkins for No. 17 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list 👏 pic.twitter.com/vbc24f8obj
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 2, 2026
As they say, all it takes for a good shooter is to see one shot go in. DeRozan was proof of that concept, as his game seemed to be unlocked attacking young defenders.
Both teams slowed their pace of play, with neither side attempting many threes. Powering to the paint was the game plan coming in, and it seemed to hold up in the second half.
Achiuwa’s selfless conversions continued, not needing any plays drawn up for him to find ways to be impactful.
They call him Second-Chance Achiuwa 😤 pic.twitter.com/qMr6Z0lfm5
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 2, 2026
Sacramento maintained a narrow advantage for most of the frame, with those two adding 20 of their 29 points in the quarter. Leading 90-81 as the final 12 minutes were placed on the clock, they had a chance to avoid a winless road trip.
Well, after making just six threes up to that point, the Raptors proved to have another run in them. Sandro Mamukelashvili added two triples, but Plowden responded with a pair of his own. Nothing says April basketball more than that.
DeRozan continued to work his way to the line, with a couple of others doing the same. Christie tested different lineups, with Achiuwa playing center for stretches before bringing Raynaud back in late. Those two closed the game alongside Monk, DeRozan, and Clifford.
Crawling to the final minutes, the Kings held a 114-112 lead with 2:30 remaining. Clifford stepped into a wide-open triple as his defender went under the pick, and he missed wide left.
But on the other end, Clifford drew an offensive foul to earn the ball right back. Tough drives from Monk were responded to by Barnes to keep the difference at two.
Again, DeRozan found a crafty up-and-under angle, but Barnes powered to the free-throw line after. Missing one, the Kings led 118-115 with 1:18 to play.
Monk touched the paint, but found DeRozan wide open for a corner triple that he knocked down. Deservedly, Achiuwa got the next shot to ice the game and secure the win.
Precious Achiuwa had one of the best games of his career, with 11 of his 19 rebounds coming on the offensive rebound, along with 28 points on 12/19 shooting.
On a night where he continued to climb the history books, DeRozan finished with 28 points and four assists on 7/18 shooting, including 12/12 from the free-throw line.
Sacramento ended their night with 29 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds and 27 points from the free-throw line on 29 attempts.
That win ends the Kings’ five-game road trip with a 4-1 record as they’ll return to Golden 1 Center on Friday night to take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Friday, April 3rd vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, April 5th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 6:00 PM PT
Tuesday, April 7th @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, April 10th vs. Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, April 12th @ Portland Trail Blazers – 5:30 PM PT
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