The California Classic has come to an end and the Sacramento Kings closed it out strong with a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks' squad. This game reaffirmed that Darius Acuff Jr. is the star point guard the Kings have been dying for, not to mention reaffirming Dylan Cardwell's breakout status.
When you're the co-host of a summer league tournament, you want to do well. That was the case for the Kings and the California Classic, which is hosted by Sacramento's finest and the Golden State Warriors. The Kings rookies, sophomores, and G Leaguers stepped up in a big way.
They wrapped up the tournament by facing off against the Bucks, defeating them by a score of 95 to 89. It was a tight game all the way through with the Kings hanging on to pick up their third win of the Classic. This was a strong note to go out on leading into the NBA Summer League in a couple of days.
After missing a game to rest, Acuff, Cardwell, and Nique Clifford made their returns to the lineup, and their presence was felt. But after playing the first two games, Emanuel Sharp, Jonathan Mogbo, and Adam Flagler were riding the pine for this one, keeping in mind they are not injured.
The Kings stand up and make some noise on the court
Naturally, Acuff was key leader, finishing up with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks. He only shot seven of 19 from the field, which Acuff needs to work on. At the same time, Acuff did relatively well from deep, hitting four of the nine shots he took.
Cardwell also had himself a game, picking up his first double-double of the Summer League season. He collected 12 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, four steals, and four blocks. He shot 71.4% from the field, which is great. Unfortunately, Cardwell also fouled, an ongoing issue for the Kings.
The undrafted LSU Tiger, Marquel Sutton, also showed up in a big way for the Kings. He was the top scorer for the team, wrapping the game up with 24 points. That was in addition to his six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks. Sutton is someone the front office should pay attention to.
Elias Ralph ended up as a healthy scratch for the third time, making it seem less and less likely that the Kings are taking him seriously. Perhaps he'll get more time in Las Vegas, assuming the Kings hang onto him through the NBA Summer League.
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