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Nique Clifford reset his feet after faking out Egor Dëmin and nailed the game-winning three that caused the Golden 1 Center to erupt with loud roars.
Clifford's three helped the Sacramento Kings defeat the Brooklyn Nets 79-76. It was a hard-fought victory for Sacramento, as the team overcame a 10-point deficit with less than seven minutes left.
Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick, led the way with 25 points. Emanuel Sharp, the No. 45 overall pick, finished with 13 points, and Clifford ended the game with nine points.
It was a rough start for Sacramento all around in the first quarter. Dylan Cardwell opened the game with a thunderous dunk in traffic and let out a loud roar.
An energetic first bucket for the Kings, but they struggled to score after that. Brooklyn went on a 13-0 run before a three from Sharp cut into the deficit.
Acuff Jr. struggled to put points on the board. The 6-foot-3 guard used crafty dribble moves to break down his defender and get to his spots, but could not finish at the rim.
The Nets' offense continued their avalanche, leading by 11 (21-10) when the buzzer sounded at the end of the first. Offense was hard to come by for the Kings, but the second quarter shifted momentum, led by the rookies.
Sharpe scored eight points in the second, including nailing two threes to cut into Brooklyn's lead. He nailed his second three from the Kings' logo on the court, showcasing his deep range.
Acuff Jr. had five points in the second. Once his shots started falling, it fueled a better scoring second half for the lottery pick.
A 27-point second quarter for Sacramento evened the game heading into halftime (37-37). Once the second half began, both teams played each other evenly.
Acuff Jr. got going in the final minutes of the third quarter, again. He scored six points, displaying his relentless rim-seeking mentality.
Brooklyn led by one point after the end of the third (57-56). Sacramento's lead point guard started the fourth quarter by splitting the pick-and-roll and finding Jonathan Mogbo for a lob dunk.
He then made a floater to put the Kings up three. The Nets responded with another 13-0 run to go up 10 points (70-60).
Then, the comeback started for Sacramento.
Acuff Jr. attacked the paint again, converting a layup to cut into the deficit. Adam Flagler made a mid-range jump shot, Acuff Jr. had back-to-back assists to Clifford and Cardwell and knocked down a lead-taking three with two and a half minutes left.
Both teams took the lead from each other multiple times. Acuff Jr. went to the free throw line with 38 seconds remaining and went one-for-two from the charity stripe.
Bilodeau rebounded Acuff Jr.'s miss and passed it to Dëmin to avoid a turnover. Cardwell also grabbed the ball, forcing a jump ball call from the referees.
Dëmin won the tipoff, and Saraf had possession with a running lane to take the lead. Cardwell recovered and blocked his shot to save the game.
Acuff Jr. walked the ball up the court, the fans stood up and the game clock dwindled. That was an opportunity for Acuff Jr. to ice the game, but he made the right play, passing to Clifford for the game winner.
Sacramento wins the opening matchup of the California Classic and will face Yaxel Lendeborg and the Golden State Warriors at 5 p.m. EST on ESPN+, Prime Video and NBA TV.
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Clifford's three helped the Sacramento Kings defeat the Brooklyn Nets 79-76. It was a hard-fought victory for Sacramento, as the team overcame a 10-point deficit with less than seven minutes left.
Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick, led the way with 25 points. Emanuel Sharp, the No. 45 overall pick, finished with 13 points, and Clifford ended the game with nine points.
It was a rough start for Sacramento all around in the first quarter. Dylan Cardwell opened the game with a thunderous dunk in traffic and let out a loud roar.
An energetic first bucket for the Kings, but they struggled to score after that. Brooklyn went on a 13-0 run before a three from Sharp cut into the deficit.
Acuff Jr. struggled to put points on the board. The 6-foot-3 guard used crafty dribble moves to break down his defender and get to his spots, but could not finish at the rim.
The Nets' offense continued their avalanche, leading by 11 (21-10) when the buzzer sounded at the end of the first. Offense was hard to come by for the Kings, but the second quarter shifted momentum, led by the rookies.
Sharpe scored eight points in the second, including nailing two threes to cut into Brooklyn's lead. He nailed his second three from the Kings' logo on the court, showcasing his deep range.
Acuff Jr. had five points in the second. Once his shots started falling, it fueled a better scoring second half for the lottery pick.
A 27-point second quarter for Sacramento evened the game heading into halftime (37-37). Once the second half began, both teams played each other evenly.
Acuff Jr. got going in the final minutes of the third quarter, again. He scored six points, displaying his relentless rim-seeking mentality.
Brooklyn led by one point after the end of the third (57-56). Sacramento's lead point guard started the fourth quarter by splitting the pick-and-roll and finding Jonathan Mogbo for a lob dunk.
He then made a floater to put the Kings up three. The Nets responded with another 13-0 run to go up 10 points (70-60).
Then, the comeback started for Sacramento.
Acuff Jr. attacked the paint again, converting a layup to cut into the deficit. Adam Flagler made a mid-range jump shot, Acuff Jr. had back-to-back assists to Clifford and Cardwell and knocked down a lead-taking three with two and a half minutes left.
Both teams took the lead from each other multiple times. Acuff Jr. went to the free throw line with 38 seconds remaining and went one-for-two from the charity stripe.
Bilodeau rebounded Acuff Jr.'s miss and passed it to Dëmin to avoid a turnover. Cardwell also grabbed the ball, forcing a jump ball call from the referees.
Dëmin won the tipoff, and Saraf had possession with a running lane to take the lead. Cardwell recovered and blocked his shot to save the game.
Acuff Jr. walked the ball up the court, the fans stood up and the game clock dwindled. That was an opportunity for Acuff Jr. to ice the game, but he made the right play, passing to Clifford for the game winner.
Sacramento wins the opening matchup of the California Classic and will face Yaxel Lendeborg and the Golden State Warriors at 5 p.m. EST on ESPN+, Prime Video and NBA TV.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roundtable-rtb/id6450423049) and stay even more connected!
Continue reading...
