Brooklyn had Sacramento’s top pick bottled up for long stretches Saturday, but Darius Acuff Jr. found his rhythm late and helped the Kings steal a 79-76 win in the California Classic opener at Golden 1 Center.
Nets Summer League head coach Dutch Gaitley said the defense did plenty right for most of the game, even if Acuff’s finish ended up swinging everything.
“I wish we would have done a better job on Acuff, 25 points,” Gaitley said. “I think we made them inefficient with 9-for-29, but you know he really got going there at the end, but I think defensively, we did a decent job.”
That late burst came after Brooklyn spent much of the afternoon making life miserable for the No. 7 overall pick. The Nets came out with real bite on that end, holding Sacramento to 3-of-16 shooting in the first quarter and forcing Acuff into tough shots. Brooklyn crowded lanes, challenged jumpers and used its size well around the basket.
Ben Saraf, Drake Powell and Chaney Johnson all took turns pressuring Acuff physically, and the rookie guard opened just 1-for-9 from the floor.
Brooklyn also had the game under control early on the other end. Egor Dëmin sparked the offense during a strong opening stretch, and the Nets pushed the lead to 18 before Sacramento ripped off an 18-0 run in the second quarter to completely change the tone.
That was the stretch when Acuff started to settle in. He stopped settling for bad looks, attacked downhill more often and drew contact instead. Brooklyn still limited him to 1-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, but he kept finding ways to put pressure on the defense down the stretch.
His biggest moment came in the closing seconds, when he created the final possession that led to Nique Clifford’s game-winning three-pointer.
Even with the loss, Brooklyn had plenty to like. Dëmin finished with 23 points and seven rebounds and looked like the best player on the floor for long stretches while taking on more of the offensive load. Tyler Bilodeau showed off some interesting offensive versatility in his professional debut, and Johnson brought energy on defense and the boards.
Saraf chipped in 10 points and six rebounds. Powell, though, had a rough night offensively and missed all nine of his shots.
The Nets were also short-handed. Mikel Brown Jr. sat out, pushing back the anticipated matchup with Acuff, and Danny Wolf missed the game because of back soreness.
Turnovers were the other killer. Brooklyn gave it away 20 times, while Sacramento had just nine, and those extra possessions helped the Kings keep clawing back even when the Nets were defending well.
The final result stung, but Gaitley’s group still left with enough positives to make the opener feel more promising than the scoreline showed.
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