LAS VEGAS - The Kings left Thomas & Mack Center with a 110-82 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, and Dylan Cardwell made it clear he had no interest in softening the blow.
The second-year center was blunt after Sacramento got overwhelmed in Las Vegas, calling out the team’s effort and starting with himself as he tried to shoulder more responsibility in Year 2.
"All glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, great game by the Nets, but we were just soft,” Cardwell said. “We didn't play to our identity.
We were soft. It's terrible."
Cardwell said the loss stung because the Kings are trying to build toward next season, and he believes the response has to come from the players on the floor.
“[We’re] trying to build something for next year,” Cardwell said. “So getting punked, it’s terrible.
“... Someone has to step up.
It starts with me. It starts with Nique [Clifford].
It starts with Max [Raynaud]. It starts with second-year guys that want to change this team, want to change this organization.
It’s on us. It’s not on coaching.
It’s not on front office. It’s on the guys on the court.
When the game gets sloppy like that, one of us has to step up and no one did today. It’s a learning experience.
There’s another game tomorrow, so another opportunity.”
Cardwell finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
Sacramento did get a big scoring night from Darius Acuff Jr., who bounced back after a rough stretch shooting the ball. The 2026 No. 7 overall pick scored 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting and hit 2 of 6 from 3-point range. He also added five assists, five turnovers, one steal and one block in 26 minutes.
Emanuel Sharp kept rolling offensively, even if the result left him frustrated. The Kings’ second-round pick scored 23 points in 23 minutes, going 7 of 12 from the field and drilling six 3-pointers. He also had three rebounds, five turnovers, four steals and one block.
Sharp didn’t hide his disappointment afterward and echoed Cardwell’s criticism of the team’s approach.
“We got to be better,” he said. “I think we came out soft these past two games.
We’re losing the game in the first quarter and then having to play catch-up. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot.
… You can’t dwell on it too much, but I hate losing, so it just sucks.”
The Kings’ biggest issue was the turnover count. They gave the ball away 27 times, with Raynaud responsible for seven of them. Sharp and Acuff each had five turnovers.
Assistant coach Chris Darnell said he doesn’t want the group to simply move on from the performance without taking something from it.
“No, we’re not going to flush that. I think we have to learn from that We have to feel that experience.
I told them clearly we’re not the same team we were in California. I know the game isn’t going to be perfect but we need to be able to band together.
But at the end of the day, it's 100 percent on me. We weren’t ready to play.
So I take the blame.”
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