The Sacramento Kings led much of the game, but a late collapse gave the LA Clippers a victory in the Las Vegas Summer League on July 8.
The Sacramento Kings continued their run the Las Vegas Summer League on July 8. The Kings were facing the second of a back-to-back and headlining rookie Marvin Bagley III sat out due to injury. It was always going to be uphill battle to beat the LA Clippers on Sunday.
The Kings scored first and led almost the entire first three quarters, but their legs faded away as the game wore on. The Clippers took full advantage and picked up an 88-78 victory. Here are the key takeaways from that contest.
JJ stars
Justin Jackson has shown significant improvements in his second year. Jackson looked like the best player in the court against the Clippers. He scored 28 points on ten of 19 shooting from the field including four of seven on 3-pointers. Jackson was also a perfect four of four from the free throw line.
Must Read: An in-depth look at Harry Giles first game as a King
That all goes without mentioning his four rebounds, two assists, one block, and two turnovers in 33 minutes. Jackson was also a positive three in the plus/minus category. He looks more confident on the offensive end of the floor and ready to step into a larger role with the Kings this season.
Giles highlight maker
Harry Giles showed his best offensive game of the summer league on Sunday. He came out firing and hitting mid-range jumpers. Giles also looked comfortable in the post, but the real story of his night was the massive dunk he flushed home. It was a beautiful right-handed flush which you can see in Tweet below courtesy of Sean Cunningham.
Sheesh. Harry Giles with a vicious one-handed tomahawk in opening quarter of Kings and Clippers summer league in Las Vegas. Stay hot @HGizzle1 pic.twitter.com/QnGNh8PjX9
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 9, 2018
It is worth noting, Giles did not play in the second half. No need to worry, though. Giles sat out to rest after his heavy workload over the past week.
FM3 continues up and down play
Frank Mason once again shot poorly from the field but had some positives against the Clippers. He had six assists, two steals and 12 points in 30 minutes of action. Mason also hit both of his free throws attempted.
It has been a struggle for him to run the offense and defend this summer. Mason struggled again the on the defensive end as LA first round pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on eight of 16 shooting. FM3 may be playing his way into fewer minutes this summer league.
Final thoughts
The Sacramento Kings played well for three quarters but wilted in the four. The Clippers sent the Kings to one win and four losses on the summer. The Kings have yet to win a game in Las Vegas.
They play again on Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies, so stay tuned for that.
Next: Re-grading the last 5 Kings drafts
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