Sacramento Kings conclude NBA Summer League with dramatic win over Charlotte Hornets
All eyes were on rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. over the first few days of the NBA Summer League.
Other players took center stage in Friday’s summer league finale to help the Sacramento Kings leave Las Vegas with a dramatic win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Adam Flagler and Marquel Sutton hit big shots in the last two minutes as the Kings held on for a 92-90 victory over the Hornets at Cox Pavilion.
Emanuel Sharp scored 16 points to lead the Kings (2-3), who sat four of their starters, including Acuff. Jonathan Mogbo continued to impress, putting up 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for Sacramento.
Rookie first-round draft pick Alex Karaban scored 14 points for the Kings. Sutton had 13 points and six rebounds. Viktor Lakhim came off the bench to post a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Hannes Steinbach had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Hornets (1-4). Tidjane Salaun had 18 points and eight rebounds. Christian Anderson had 18 points and eight assists.
The Kings again chose not to play Acuff, second-year guard Nique Clifford and second-year center Maxime Raynaud after resting them in Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. Second-year center Dylan Cardwell was held out due to left thumb soreness.
The absences of those players created increased opportunities for other players, giving Sharp, Karaban and Mogbo time to shine.
The Kings staged a 13-0 run and went up by as many as 15 points in the opening period. They led 31-19 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 55-50 advantage into the halftime break.
Charlotte trialed 72-71 at the end of the third quarter. The Hornets took a 76-74 lead on a 3-pointer by Steinbach early in the fourth.
The Kings were clinging to a one-point lead when Flagler hit a big 3-pointer with 1:43 to play. A basket by Sutton put the Kings up by five with 18 seconds remaining, all but securing the victory for Sacramento.
Schedule/results
California Classic
Kings 79, Nets 76
Kings 91, Warriors Blue 85
Kings 95, Bucks 89
NBA Summer League
Kings 91, Clippers 85
Wizards 104, Kings 85
Nets 115, Kings 83
Celtics 82, KIngs 76
7/17 vs. Charlotte Hornets
