The Sacramento Kings kicked off their Las Vegas Summer League on July 7 with a loss against the Phoenix Suns in a battle of the top two picks in 2018.
The Sacramento Kings began their run in the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns. The Kings have already played three summer league games in the California Classic, but Vegas is the premier event of the offseason.
The opener had a bit of particular significance as it was a battle of the top two draft picks from last month. The Suns selected DeAndre Ayton first overall and Kings fans know Marvin Bagley III was the second selection.
Unfortunately, Sacramento struggled on offense in Saturday’s game and lost 71-63 to the Suns. Here are some big takeaways from the contest.
Offensive nightmare
The Kings could not find their legs on offense all night. They scored just 15 points in the first quarter, and that was the high water mark of the opening three quarters. The bottomed out with a ten point third period which pushed the game out of reach.
Related Story: An in-depth look at Harry Giles first Kings game
Sacramento lacks outside shooting around point guard Frank Mason. They shot just two of 19 on 3-pointers on Saturday. The lack of floor spacing could make it a long week in Vegas.
Giles stands out
The Kings may have struggled, but Harry Giles did not. Giles had 17 points, six rebounds, five steals, one 3-pointer made, one block, and three turnovers against the Suns. He also shot eight of 16 from the field. The former Blue Devil produced the following amazing highlight too in a Tweet by Sean Cunningham.
A look at that Harry Giles block on Dragan Bender to begin the game. pic.twitter.com/rAZx2qlt1k
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 8, 2018
Giles’ offensive game is rounding into form. He showed a plethora of moves including a running hook shot, floaters, and nailed a beautiful mid-range jumper in the face of former King Jack Cooley.
His defense stood out too, though. You saw the block, and his five steals were impressive, but what the box score did not say is he drew the challenge of guarding top pick Ayton most of the game. Giles did well. He made life difficult on Ayton despite the Suns’ big man scoring 21 points on the night.
MB3 scores 15
Marvin Bagley III had a significant improvement from his previous two games. MB3 produced 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and two turnovers in 32 minutes on Saturday. Other than Josh Jackson nearly blocking Bagley III into next week it was a positive performance from the Kings rookie.
The downfall was Bagley III was seen sitting on the floor stretching late in the game, so perhaps he suffered an injury. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
Final thoughts
The Kings started slow and fell to the Phoenix Suns on July 7 in Las Vegas. Sacramento plays next on Sunday against the LA Clippers. That figures to be an exciting contest, so stay tuned for more information on that game.
Next: Re-grading the last 5 Kings drafts
A Royal Pain provides all the content that Sacramento Kings fans want to read all year long. Please check back with us frequently to stay tuned in on everything you need to know about the team. Thank you for reading.