Achiuwa's career night and Plowden's clutch plays sealed a thrilling Kings victory, outdueling a resilient Mavericks squad in a high-scoring affair.
The Sacramento Kings grabbed a sensational 130-121 win over the Cooper Flagg-less Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, walking away the victor in two of their last three games.
Precious Achiuwa's big night gave the Kings life from beginning to end, finishing with a career-high 29 points to pair with 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a game-sealing blocked shot against Dallas' Naji Marshall with 47 seconds to go.
Marshall was on fire all game long for the Mavericks in Flagg's absence, notching 36 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in 42 minutes of work, rumbling to the basket with reckless abandon.
Sacramento stormed out to an early 68-56 lead at the end of the first half on the back of Achiuwa's 21 points and 8 rebounds, but Marshall's 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting kept Dallas within striking distance after two frames.
After both squads scored 32 points each as a collective in the third quarter, Dallas managed to nearly erase what was once an 18-point Kings lead in the final minutes.
Marshall's paint penetration brought Dallas back, but it was Brandon Williams' 12 fourth-quarter points (16 total) that almost delivered the final blows in an epic comeback performance.
Unfortunately for the Mavs, Daeqwon Plowden and Devin Carter stood in their path down the stretch. The former tied his career-high with 19 points on a perfect 7-for-7 night from the floor, and Carter racked up 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals to stall Dallas' efforts.
Plowden's electric outing was a product of his activity on both ends of the floor, but he'd make most of his mark right at the rim as a ferocious play-finisher. The two-way contract signee skied for incredible jams in the game's later stages, once on a thunderous putback and another time when rising up on the break after a Carter steal and feed.
For good measure, he's also knock down a dagger three-pointer from the left corner with 52 seconds left, giving the Kings a 128-121 advantage off of Nique Clifford's 7th assist of the game.
Clifford had a rough 6-for-19 shooting night, but his overall activity led to a 13-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist performance and a +9 plus-minus.
Fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud also decided to turn things up a notch in the fourth, scoring 8 of his 22 points for the game in the final 12 minutes with a variety skillful post moves and touch around the rim.
Sacramento improved their record to 14-47, and Achiuwa's continued excellence could earn him an opportunity to shine for a contender when he hits unrestricted free agency this coming summer. The 6-year veteran is averaging 17.0 points and 9.4 rebounds over his last five appearances.
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