Losing happens in Vegas, so the Sacramento Kings should hope it stays there. The summer league team was blown out for the second time in three days, falling to the Denver Nuggets by the final score of 98-76.
The Kings were utterly outplayed on the perimeter. Sacramento shot 2-for-23 from behind the arc, while they allowed Denver to hit 12-of-29 3-point attempts. The Kings made 16-of-21 free throws but didn’t help their cause by losing the turnover battle 21-17, with 11 between David Stockton and James Anderson.
In his second pro basketball game, Willie Cauley-Stein looked more comfortable on the floor. Cauley-Stein collected 15 points, one rebound and unofficially three blocks in under 23 minutes. One of those swats came on a fast break chase-down on Gary Harris, when the Kings rookie fell out of bounds and rested seven minutes in the first quarter before returning in the second.
After sitting out game 1 with a DNP – Coach’s Decision, David Wear exploded on the strip with 19 points on 7-of-12 field goals. The second-year forward got out on the break, flowed in the pick and roll and scored one of the Kings’ only 3’s.
Anderson cooled off from his 15-point game 1 showing with five points on 2-of-7 shooting. In his Summer League debut, Stockton recorded four points on 2-of-9 field goals and five assists. Shaquille McKissic scored 12 points in 11 minutes, and Eric Moreland produced four points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Seven Nuggets players scored in double digits. 2015 seventh pick Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 19 points, 10 assists and six turnovers in 35 minutes, and Ian Clark dropped in 19 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown. Erick Green added 16 points.
With the loss, Sacramento is 0-2 in Summer League play. They face the Golden State Warriors tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. PST at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
