Keegan Murray outshines Chet Holmgren in marquee rookie matchup, but Kings lose to Thunder
Keegan Murray outshined Chet Holmgren in a marquee rookie matchup, but the Kings came up short against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tre Mann had 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists to lead the Thunder to an 86-80 victory over the Kings in a Las Vegas Summer League game Wednesday at Thomas & Mack Center. The Kings fell to 1-2 in pool play, likely quashing their hopes of repeating as summer league champions.
Murray, who came out of Iowa as the No. 4 pick in June’s NBA draft, was sensational for Sacramento. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward finished with a game-high 29 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists. He made 9 of 17 from the field, 2 of 7 from 3-point range and 9 of 11 at the free-throw line.
“I don’t know if there’s been anybody in summer league more impressive than Keegan Murray,” NBATV’s Greg Anthony said during the television broadcast.
Holmgren struggled offensively but still contributed in a variety of ways. He scored eight points on 3-of-8 shooting with five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Holmgren made a 3-pointer on the opening possession and scored five points in the first two minutes of the game, but he didn’t score again until the 4:16 mark in the fourth quarter.
Holmgren was asked about his matchup with Murray following the game.
“Good matchup, obviously a great player, and it was a lot of fun to go up against him,” Holmgren told reporters in Las Vegas.
Jared Rhoden had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Kings, who will play the Phoenix Suns at 5 p.m. Friday. Keon Ellis had another strong outing with 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals while making 5 of 10 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
Frankie Ferrari was held to four points on 2-of-9 shooting, but he had six rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Neemias Queta, a 7-foot center from Portugal, had four blocked shots but otherwise struggled on his 23rd birthday, finishing with one point, one rebound and one assist in 22 minutes.
Holmgren opened the game with a long 3-pointer from the right wing. Murray quickly answered with a layup and a 3-pointer of his own. Murray, who eased his way into Sacramento’s first two summer league games, came out firing this season, scoring seven of his team’s first eight points.
The Kings led 19-15 at the end of the first quarter, but the Thunder staged a 24-2 run to take a 39-21 lead in the second. The Kings trailed by as many as 19 before a nice flourish from Murray helped them cut the deficit to 12 at the half.
Sacramento came within eight on a few occasions in the third quarter, but Oklahoma City led 68-53 going into the fourth. The Kings made another run to get within five on a 3-pointer by Ellis with 1:23 remaining, but they couldn’t get the baskets they needed in the final minute.
The Kings might choose to shut Murray down now that they’ve been all but eliminated from championship contention. He has played six games in 12 days, three at the California Classic and three in Las Vegas.
Murray was recently asked how he is handling the summer grind.
“I missed it, if anything,” Murray said. “ I just missed the grind of playing a lot of games, practicing all the time. I just missed that grind and, right now, I’m just having fun.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 7:48 PM.
