A late Alex Karaban surge nearly erased a double-digit deficit, but transition defensive lapses and early offensive struggles doomed Sacramento to a third consecutive Summer League defeat.
The Sacramento Kings went on a 17-5 run in the final three minutes for a chance at a comeback win, but timely shotmaking from the Boston Celtics extended their losing skid to three straight.
Boston defeated Sacramento 82-76, and while the final score appears close, the Celtics had control of the game from tipoff. Transition offense fueled their 13-4 lead after the first quarter.
They pushed the pace after every rebound, punishing the Kings for poor transition defense. Offense was hard to come by for Sacramento for the third straight game, a scary trend that looked even worse without Darius Acuff Jr., Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud.
That changed in the second quarter when Kings summer league coach Chris Darnell made the adjustment and added more movement to the offense. Sacramento's efficiency increased as players found gaps in Boston's defense and cut to the rim for high-percentage layups.
Adam Flagler saw his defender focus on B.J. Edwards and Viktor Lahkin’s pick-and-roll, cut to the rim and Edwards passed to him for the easy basket. A few possessions later, Hugo Gonzalez overhelped on an Emanuel Sharp and Dylan Cardwell pick-and-roll, leaving Sharpe to find a cutting Jonathan Mogbo for another layup.
The pick-and-roll stabilized Sacramento's offense. It led to 24 points in the second quarter, but the first-quarter ghost haunted the Kings. They entered halftime down 39-28.
Without Acuff Jr., Clifford and Raynaud, Sacramento needed a player to step up and lead the team -- following Cardwell's comments after Tuesday's 32-point loss. Rookie forward Alex Karaban answered the call and finally made his mark in Summer League.
Karaban suffered a right ankle sprain that forced him to miss the California Classic. He made his debut against the Los Angeles Clippers last Friday and was held scoreless. His struggles continued throughout the next two games, as he scored a combined seven points.
The 29th overall pick eclipsed his poor performances with a 21-point game on 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. He displayed the elite shooting that was the cornerstone of UConn's national championship runs. That same shooting fueled the Kings' late comeback push in the fourth.
Karaban's off-ball movement created enough separation for his teammates to find him wide open. He knocked down timely shot after timely shot, putting Boston on its heels and on the verge of blowing a 16-point lead, 77-75 with under a minute left.
Celtics guard Milos Uzan came to the rescue, crossing over Mogbo and extending the lead to two possessions with a layup as the shot clock almost expired. One bucket from Uzan snuffed out the Kings' 17-5 comeback run.
Sacramento falls to 1-3 in the Summer League, and with all the talent on its roster, it's quite shocking. Acuff Jr. is still adjusting to the NBA pace, Karaban made his mark too late and Raynaud only played two games.
The Kings won't have a shot at bringing home their third Summer League championship, but that's okay. It's clear the rookies still need time to acclimate to the pros, and they'll have ample opportunity to get better when training camp arrives.
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