The Sacramento Kings closed out the California Classic with a 95-89 win over the Milwaukee Bucks’ squad, and the result gave them a clean finish to a tournament they were hosting alongside the Golden State Warriors.
It was a tight one from start to finish, but the Kings held on for their third win of the Classic and head into the NBA Summer League in a couple of days with some momentum. Sacramento’s rookies, sophomores and G Leaguers did the heavy lifting again, and the group delivered a strong final showing on home turf.
Darius Acuff Jr. was right in the middle of it. After sitting out a game to rest, he returned to the lineup and looked every bit like the point guard the Kings have been looking for.
Acuff finished with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. The shot volume was a little rough - he went 7 of 19 from the field - but he did knock down four of his nine attempts from deep.
Dylan Cardwell also came back after missing a game and made his presence felt. He posted his first double-double of the Summer League season with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while adding two assists, four steals and four blocks. Cardwell shot 71.4% from the field, but he also picked up fouls, which remains an issue for the Kings.
Marquel Sutton gave Sacramento another major lift. The undrafted LSU Tiger led the team in scoring with 24 points and added six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks. He was one of the biggest bright spots in the game, and the front office should be paying attention.
Nique Clifford also returned to the lineup after resting, while Emanuel Sharp, Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler sat out this one after playing the first two games. None of them were injured.
Elias Ralph was a healthy scratch for the third time, which makes it look less and less likely the Kings are taking him seriously. He may get another chance in Las Vegas, assuming Sacramento keeps him around for the NBA Summer League.
In Other News...
Dylan Cardwell Looks Like A Kings Find But One Issue Looms
Dylan Cardwell has given the Kings a pretty good reason to keep watching him this summer. The undrafted center out of Auburn has flashed real defensive value during the California Classic, using his length and activity to make plays around the rim and show why Sacramento brought him in on a two-way contract.
The problem is the same one that can quickly shrink a promising summer into a short stint: foul trouble. Cardwell has been impactful when he stays on the floor, but the whistles have kept interrupting his rhythm and limiting his minutes, leaving the Kings with a clear development point to monitor as they try to figure out whether his defense can translate into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
DeMar DeRozans Kings Exit Suddenly Feels A Lot More Real
DeMar DeRozans future has drifted into the kind of summer limbo that can change quickly once the biggest dominoes start to fall. Jake Fischer reported that the veteran wing could wind up as a fallback option for teams that miss out on LeBron James, with the Warriors, Cavaliers and Heat among the clubs to watch if their bigger swing does not land. For Sacramento, it is another reminder that DeRozans stint has moved from on-court fit to roster math, with the Kings now weighing what comes next for a player who arrived with real expectations.
What makes the situation feel more real is how little room there appears to be for a clean reunion with the market he once occupied. DeRozan is still a free agent, and the expectation is that he will land somewhere on a veteran minimum deal, which says plenty about where his value sits at this stage of his career. For the Kings, the question is no longer whether they can build around him, but how soon they decide to move on and let the rest of the league sort out the chase. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Summer League Momentum Just Added Another Intriguing Twist
The Kings Summer League run in Las Vegas got a little more interesting with the addition of Maxime Raynaud, who missed the California Classic while away on French national team duty. Sacramento already rolled through that event at 3-0, with several rookies and second-year players helping set an upbeat tone, and Raynaud now joins a group that has spent the first stretch of July trying to turn that early momentum into something more cohesive.
Raynaud gives the roster another young piece to evaluate, and his arrival adds to a camp that general manager Scott Perry has framed around effort and chemistry as much as results. Perry has been encouraged by Raynauds development, and with the Kings continuing to mix in new faces and returning players in Las Vegas, the next few days should offer a clearer look at how much of that California Classic success can carry over once the competition gets sharper. [Read more 🡒]