3 Takeaways from Kings' Exhilarating Summer League Win Over Nets

The Sacramento Kings' season officially got underway with their first Summer League game in the California Classic, and it's hard to think of a more exciting way for their year to get underway. It was a low-scoring affair, but it came down to the final minute as Nique Clifford won the game with a go-ahead three to put the Kings on top 79-76 with five seconds left.

The Kings will have a lot of things to look at and adjust, but it's always good to get a win, even if it is just an exhibition game. Here are three takeaways from the Kings' exciting victory.

Acuff Shines

Easily the biggest storyline of the game for the Kings was Darius Acuff Jr. making his debut. The seventh overall pick took some time to get going, but he filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 25 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds. He may have taken 29 shots, but it was a strong showing from the rookie.

The good news is that Acuff wasn't shy. He shot 9-of-29 from the field and 1-of-9 from three, but everything came within the flow of the offense. It wasn't a forced shot selection with Acuff making the right play more times than not.

Darius Acuff Jr’s first triple of the day is a big one.

Kings trail 74-73 with 2:09 to play.

Acuff has 24 points on the day (9/28 FG) pic.twitter.com/gcbVRThy7h
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) July 4, 2026

The final shot of the game shows it all. Acuff had the ball at the top of the key, but made the right pass to Clifford after drawing two defenders to him. The shot will definitely start to fall for Acuff, but the peripherals were all there for him today.

Clifford Does It All

Apr 12, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) waits during a break during the second half in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

14 Nique Clifford made a name for himself last year by doing a little bit of everything on the court, and it was more of the same today. The second-year guard finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on an efficient 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the field and 2-of-4 from three. The biggest shot was the three to win the game, which Clifford took with no hesitation.

It will be interesting to see how much Clifford defers to Acuff, and more so, the veterans on the main roster during the season, but he picked up right where he left off from last season so far.

Defense Ahead of Offense

It's safe to say that both teams were still trying to find their rhythm in the opening game of the exhibition season. It was a low-scoring affair, and both teams shot under 40% from the field. The Kings finished shooting 37.3% from the field and 18.5% from three, and the Nets were also 37.3% from the field and 21.7% from three.

The refs let the game get physical, but the shot-making just wasn't there for either team today. That's to be expected with it being so early in the year. On the plus side, the Kings showed effort and hustle on defense, and Dylan Cardwell finished with four blocks and two steals as the defensive anchor.

Sacramento continues their exhibition games tomorrow as they face the Golden State Warriors at 2:00 pm PST.

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