Emanuel Sharp’s 21-point explosion and a stifling defensive effort propelled Sacramento past Los Angeles, keeping the roster perfect as they head toward a showdown with the Wizards.
After a strong showing in the California Classic, the Sacramento Kings rejoined the rest of the NBA Summer League squads in Las Vegas, looking to keep the momentum going.
The team did just that, knocking off the Los Angeles Clippers 91-85, holding them to 33-percent shooting from the field.
Second-year big man Dylan Cardwell opened up the game with a dunk, capitalizing on an Alex Karaban pass.
The main storyline was No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff Jr. facing off against No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler, but both young guards got off to slow starts.
Acuff scored just three points in the first quarter, while his counterpart failed to score.
But, it was Clippers guard Cam Christie who led all scorers after the first ten minutes, tallying nine points and four rebounds and giving Los Angeles the lead.
However, Acuff began to find his groove in the second quarter, scoring nine points and pushing the pace in transition.
About halfway through the period, Acuff came up with a loose ball at half court, beating four Clippers defenders the other way for a tough, and-one finish.
Rookie forward Emanuel Sharp also had a strong half, knocking down multiple 3-pointers and providing extra opportunities with his hustle.
Sacramento led 44-41 at the break.
After the halftime break, the Kings continued to pressure the Clippers' ball handlers, holding their opponents to just 17 points in the third quarter.
Sharp continued to make a huge impact, getting to the free-throw line and getting into a groove on the defensive end.
Sacramento maintained a double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter before allowing a 10-0 run with four minutes to play.
Cincinnati forward Baba Miller began to leave his fingerprints on the game, knocking down a triple and recording multiple big-time blocks.
Miller was a popularly-mocked name for the Kings throughout the pre-draft process.
Despite losing the double-digit lead, the Kings weathered the storm, as Sharp nailed his third triple of the game following the media timeout to extend the lead back to nine.
Sharp led all scorers with 21 points, adding four steals and two rebounds.
The Kings escaped with a 91-85 victory, moving them to 4-0 in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League.
Karaban, who returned from injury for his debut, really struggled, failing to score and missing all six of his shot attempts.
However, Karaban was great off-the-ball and found himself open for looks that he typically makes, setting him up for a strong bounce-back performance.
The Kings are back in action Sunday, July 12, at 8:00 p.m. against the No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join, simply by clicking the yellow button at the top of the homepage. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
