The Sacramento Kings had enough early to make this opener feel competitive, but one third-quarter burst from the Los Angeles Clippers changed the night fast and turned a close game into a 121-96 loss in Los Angeles.
That kind of swing looked familiar. Sacramento stayed in range through the first half, then watched the Clippers put together the kind of quick run that has undone the Kings before. Sometimes it happens early, sometimes it happens after halftime, but the result has often looked the same: the opponent gets separation, and Sacramento never finds its way back.
Even in defeat, there were a few clear things to pull from the Kings’ first game of the 2026-27 season.
Darius Acuff Jr. was aggressive from the jump. He hoisted a game-high 24 shots and made only five of them, finishing at 20.8 percent. That number is ugly, no way around it, but the rookie guard was still getting himself into the right areas and finding decent looks.
That matters because the shot volume told a story of its own. The efficiency was rough, and it’s the kind of issue that could follow him, but the larger message from this opener was obvious: this is his team.
Sacramento needs this season to be about Acuff getting reps, learning on the fly, and growing into the role. He’s going to be given the freedom to do that, and this game showed he won’t be shy about taking it.
There’s likely to be plenty of variance with him. Some nights the shots will go down; some nights they’ll look like this. But the chance to keep attacking is there, and Acuff appeared ready to lean into it.
While Acuff battled through a rough shooting night, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine delivered the kind of stat lines the Kings were hoping to see.
Sabonis posted 14 points on a spotless 5-of-5 shooting, pulled down 18 rebounds, and handed out 8 assists. LaVine led Sacramento with 28 points, added 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and shot 10-of-19 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three.
Those are familiar numbers from both veterans, and both players are back on the floor with something to prove to the Kings and the rest of the league. If Sacramento had gotten more out of Acuff’s shot-making, the impact from Sabonis and LaVine might have kept this one much tighter.
Then there’s Keegan Murray, who opened the year with more questions than answers. After a quiet preseason, the fifth-year wing had another quiet outing, scoring just two points on 1-of-8 shooting. He missed all four of his three-point tries, didn’t get to the free-throw line, and finished with four rebounds and no assists.
That puts a spotlight on a year that already feels important for Murray. The Kings need more from him as a shooter, especially from deep. If he can’t provide that boost, Sacramento’s offense could have trouble keeping pace from the perimeter.
Still, it’s early. Murray has long been a streaky shooter, and the injuries he’s coming off should give him some patience. But this was his first game under a five-year, $140 million deal, and the expectations around him are going to stay high.
In Other News...
Mavericks Suddenly Have A Real Shot At A Guard Fans Know
Walter Clayton Jr. hit the waiver wire just ahead of the roster deadline, and a few teams are already circling. Among them are the Mavericks and the Kings, two clubs with reason to take a closer look at a guard whose availability came at an unexpected moment and whose next move could shape the early part of his career.
Dallas looks like a particularly clean fit because of its open two-way spot and the familiarity it already has with Clayton, but Sacramento is in the mix as well. For a player weighing playing time against long-term fit, that kind of choice can matter a lot, and the next step will come down to where he sees the clearest path to minutes and development. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Already Have A Brutal Opening Night Problem
The early days of training camp were supposed to be about sorting out roles and building momentum, but Sacramento is already dealing with a roster headache that could linger into opening night. Ben Simmons is out for the season with an Achilles tear, and the list of other players dealing with injuries or soreness keeps growing, leaving the Kings to piece together a group that still looks unsettled before the schedule has even started.
Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, Precious Achiuwa, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray are all among the names on the injury report in one form or another, and that kind of uncertainty puts real pressure on a team that was counting on depth to carry it through the long haul. For Sacramento, the concern is not just who misses opening night, but how much of the rotation might already be compromised before the first game is even played. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Jones Sees One Big Question Hanging Over The Kings Core
The Kings season outlook still comes back to the same cluster of core pieces, and Mark Jones spent time on The Carmichael Dave Show laying out why. Sacramentos play-by-play voice pointed to Darius Acuff Jr. as a lead guard who has to find the right balance between scoring and playmaking, while also noting Keegan Murrays role on the defensive end and his need to get back on track as a shooter.
Jones also made clear that Domantas Sabonis remains central to everything Sacramento wants to do, with his health and productivity looming as major factors. The larger question, from Jones view, is how those pieces mesh and whether their development and fit can lift the Kings to the level they want to reach this season. [Read more 🡒]