Precious Achiuwa’s ‘contagious’ energy propels Kings to third consecutive win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The primary storyline entering Wednesday night was New York Knicks coach Mike Brown returning to Golden 1 Center for the first time since being fired by the Kings just over a year ago.
But Sacramento forward Precious Achiuwa ended up stealing the spotlight in a “revenge game” of his own — his first game against his previous team from Manhattan since moving across the country as an NBA free agent this past offseason.
The former Knick recorded season highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds en route to leading the Kings to a 112-101 win, though Achiuwa maintained this matchup held no extra importance to him.
“I don’t think it was extra motivation,” Achiuwa told reporters postgame. “I just think it was continuing to build on the success we’ve had in the last couple games, you know, just continuing to carry that over. Just go out there and play hard, play the right way, and that was the result.”
Achiuwa was a clear spark plug on the offensive end and made sure to celebrate right in front of former teammate OG Anunoby after hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.
But that scoring success appeared to be a product of his defensive intensity, at least in the eyes of his coach Doug Christie.
“He was locked in on the defensive end, because he was accepting an assignment in [Knicks guard Jalen Brunson] that is a huge one,” Christie explained about Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8 forward that typically might not be expected to defend a point guard. “I mean, he’s an MVP candidate — all the different things that come along with Jalen Brunson. The ability for him to be willing and ready to step into that, I think that just locks him in.”
And in order to be able to defend effectively a player of Brunson’s caliber, it’s almost a necessity to have a certain level of self-confidence and belief — which Achiuwa doesn’t appear to lack on defense.
“Defense is something that I can hang my hat on, any time, any day, any night,” Achiuwa asserted. “A lot of guys around the league talk about defense — I put myself up there with the best of them, being able to guard point guards all the way through centers. If you look at the last 10 games or so, I’ve guarded pretty much … every position from point guards to centers.”
Achiuwa’s primary defensive assignment didn’t last long; Brunson rolled his right ankle within the opening five minutes and didn’t return. But that didn’t deter Achiuwa’s energy on either end, with the 26-year-old out of Queens adding two assists, two steals and two blocks to his stat line.
“He was aggressive downhill, driving, making sure he was getting to the basket,” Christie added. “There’s not a selfish bone in his body, so he’s a willing passer. But the biggest thing on [the box score] is the 14 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end, and just grown-man basketball all around.”
Achiuwa has played 39, 30 and 30 minutes in the Kings’ last three games — that’s three of his four highest minute totals this season, with the lone exception being 34 minutes in an overtime game in November. In what perhaps isn’t a coincidence, Wednesday’s win gave Sacramento (11-30) its first three-game winning streak of the 2025-26 NBA season.
And Achiuwa’s intensity hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“Precious, I can’t believe he was a free agent when we picked him up,” Zach Lavine told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live” while Achiuwa lit the beam. “Playing against him the last five, six years, and then being able to actually have him come in and bring energy. He’s a defensive guy, but he can play 1 through 5. He’s knocking down some threes, which I haven’t seen, but you know, we’ll take it. His pressure, his energy, and the way every day he comes into the facility, he brings happiness.”
To be fair, Maxime Raynaud’s parents also have been in attendance for all three of the Kings’ consecutive wins, so maybe the reasoning behind this hot stretch is twofold. But Raynaud appreciated Achiuwa’s effort, too.
“I thought he started off super aggressive, first by scoring, but also getting stops and getting big-time rebounds, so his energy is contagious,” Raynaud told Ragan and Mason postgame. “He started it, and then everybody just picked up from there. He was definitely the leader of our team tonight.”
Now a perfect 3-0 to start its seven-game homestand, Sacramento welcomes the Washington Wizards on Friday night as the team looks to continue playing their best ball of the season.
Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast
Read the full article here
