Kings rout Rockets in Las Vegas Summer League finale despite sitting Murray, Queta, Ellis
The Kings chose to shut down rookie first-round draft pick Keegan Murray and three other starters prior to Saturday’s Las Vegas Summer League finale, but that didn’t stop them from routing the Houston Rockets.
Jeriah Horne and Jared Rhoden both scored in double figures to help the Kings beat the Rockets 92-81 at Cox Pavilion. Horne finished with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Rhoden had 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Tari Eason led the Rockets with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 pick in June’s NBA draft, also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but he went 4 of 15 from the field.
The Kings shot 50.7% from the field, made 14 of 33 (.424) from 3-point range and finished with a 52-15 advantage in points off the bench. The Rockets shot 39.7% and made 8 of 31 (.258) from beyond the arc.
The Kings, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, decided they had seen enough from Murray, a 6-foot-9 forward who came out of Iowa as the No. 4 pick in the draft. Murray averaged 23.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over the first four games of the tournament to emerge as a leading candidate for MVP, which will be announced Monday.
In addition to Murray, the Kings also elected to sit Neemias Queta, Keon Ellis and Frankie Ferrari. Queta left a win over the Indiana Pacers last weekend due to calf soreness and needed stitches to repair a busted lip after crashing into a table in Friday’s victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Queta, who recently re-signed with Sacramento on a second one-year, two-way contract, averaged 12.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in four games in Las Vegas.
Ellis, who signed a one-year, two-way contract after going undrafted out of Alabama, also appeared in four games, averaging 12.8 points, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 44.4% from the field and 54.2% from 3-point range.
Ferrari, who started all three games at the California Classic and the first three games in Las Vegas, was held out of the last two games. He averaged 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals.
