Acuff hits clutch 3s as Kings beat Bucks to go 3-0 at California Classic
Darius Acuff Jr., Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell returned to the lineup on the final day of the California Classic to help the Sacramento Kings finish with a perfect record.
Marquel Sutton scored 24 points to lead the Kings to a 95-89 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Sutton, a rookie forward who went undrafted out of LSU, continued to impress after putting up 16 points and seven rebounds in Sunday’s win over Golden State Warriors Blue.
“I just want to thank the organization for giving me an opportunity to play here,” Sutton said. “I’m definitely getting the most out of it, taking it day by day. A lot of people tell me don’t get too high, don’t get too low, just stay in the median, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m grateful to be on a team like this. We’ve got a great group of guys in the locker room and we’ve meshed well together.”
Acuff, the No. 7 pick in June’s NBA draft, finished with 22 points after hitting two clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The rookie point guard went 7 of 19 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range after struggling with his shot in his summer league debut.
Cardwell posted 12 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots for the Kings (3-0), who will open the NBA Summer League against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday in Las Vegas. Clifford had eight points, six rebounds and two steals.
Cardwell has anchored the defense for a team that could contend for its second Summer League championship in six years after winning the tournament in 2021.
“Defense travels, so we’re going to take that with us,” Cardwell said.
Zach Austin scored 17 points for the Bucks (1-2). Kam Jones scored 14 points. Brayden Burries, a rookie guard who came out of Arizona as the 10th pick in the draft, scored 12 points.
The Kings chose to hold Emanuel Sharp, Adam Flagler and Jonathan Mogbo out of Monday’s game, but Acuff, Clifford and Cardwell returned to the lineup after sitting out Sunday’s win over Golden State.
Acuff got off to a much better start after struggling to make shots in his summer league debut on Saturday. Acuff led all scorers with 25 points in a 79-76 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, but he went 9 of 29 from the field and 1 of 9 from 3-point range.
Acuff was much more efficient this time out. He made his first shot of the game on a midrange jumper from the left elbow and hit a 3-pointer moments later to help Sacramento race out to a 13-4 lead.
Acuff went 3 of 4 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range for eight points in his first six minutes of action. The Kings led 28-22 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 55-48 advantage into the halftime break.
After trailing by as many as 16 points, the Bucks cut the deficit to five early in the third quarter and tied the game midway through the fourth.
Milwaukee took an 87-85 lead with 3:56 to play, but Acuff hit two 3-pointers as part of an 8-0 run to help Sacramento hold on for the win.
Nets belt winless Warriors Blue
Egor Demin had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 100-79 victory over the Golden State Warriors Blue in Monday’s early game.
Chaney Johnson had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Nets (2-1). Rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr., the No. 6 pick in June’s NBA draft, had 10 points and four assists in his summer league debut after sitting out the first two games of the California Classic.
This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 10:32 PM.
