Clifford’s defensive prowess ignites the Kings, ending a historic losing streak. His six-steal performance etches his name in franchise history.
Sacramento Kings rookie Nique Clifford continues to justify his selection with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and his performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night served as another example of his upside.
Clifford and the Kings' ragtag group of difference-making talents picked up a 123-114 victory over the Grizzlies to end the franchise's longest losing streak ever at 16 games.
Russell Westbrook contributed a game-high 25 points to pair with seven assists, and Precious Achiuwa netted a 22-point, 12-rebound (seven offensive boards) double-double to lead the veteran effort.
Rookie second-round pick center Maxime Raynaud finished with a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double of his own and two-way contract signee Daeqwon Plowden poured in a career-high 19 points on 4-for-9 shooting from three-point range to back Clifford and head the youth movement's attack.
As for the 24-year-old shooting guard, Clifford did something no King has done in nearly a half-decade, according to Kings reporter James Ham.
"With five steals tonight at MEM, Nique Clifford is the first Kings rookie with five or more steals in a game since Tyrese Haliburton (6) vs. WAS on April 14, 2021," Ham shared via X on Monday night.
"He is the 12th Kings rookie in the Sac era with five steals in a game."
With 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and a career-best six steals on the ledger against Memphis, Clifford achieved single-game marks that plenty of Kings before him failed to reach.
On top of the significance of becoming the first King with a six-steal performance since current Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton, Clifford's 4x5 night was the first registered by a Kings player since franchise great DeMarcus Cousins, per stats from Real App.
Clifford was a menace in the passing lanes against the Grizzlies, and his activity on the defensive end impacted several potential momentum-swinging plays. His ability to break up passes came in handy both in half-court defensive sets and in transition.
On a clear 2-on-1 fast break opportunity for Memphis near the mid-point of the second quarter, Clifford poked away an alley-oop attempt from Scottie Pippen Jr. intended for Olivier Maxence-Prosper as the lone man back for the Kings.
His perfect anticipation and execution eliminated a sure-fire scoring chance for Memphis and generated another possession for his squad after Plowden ricocheted the loose ball off of Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer out of bounds.
Clifford's latest outing served as a crucial reminder that he's not only proven himself to be a reliable scorer on certain nights, but that he's slowly developed into an active team defender with averages of 1.9 steals in the month of February (9 games).
Just over two weeks ago, the 6-foot-5 guard exploded for a career-high 30 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 7. Now, he's showing clear signs of improvement as a two-way force.
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