LAS VEGAS — It was the undercard, but it still provided an intriguing storyline.
The first day of NBA Summer League play featured No. 1 and 2 draft picks AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson squaring off for the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, respectively, but another pair of lottery picks shared the court to close the schedule on Thursday night when fifth overall pick Keaton Wagler and the Clippers faced off against No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr. and the Sacramento Kings.
Acuff, who starred at Arkansas, finished with 19 points, seven assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 28 minutes to lead the Kings to a 91-85 victory over the Clippers at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. Wagler, who helped lead Illinois to the Final Four last spring, had a quieter debut with seven points on 1-for-7 shooting (1 for 5 from 3-point range), two rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes.
Cam Christie had team-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers, while rookie Baba Miller (Cincinnati) had 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Rookie forward Nick Martinelli (Northwestern) had 11 points and five rebounds, Sean Pedulla had 11 points (but six turnovers) and second-year guard Kobe Sanders had 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals in 33 minutes.
Acuff was the focus of his team’s offense, shooting 6 for 20 from the field (3 for 9 from 3-point range) while no other teammate attempted more than 10 shots. Emmanuel Sharp had a game-high 21 points and four steals for the Kings, while Dylan Cardwell (15 points, nine rebounds), Nique Clifford (13 points) and Jonathan Mogbo (12 points, seven rebounds) were their other double-figure scorers.
The Clippers trailed 44-41 at halftime before Sacramento took control in the third quarter by outscoring them 26-17.
The Clippers trailed by as much as 16 points in the fourth but cut the margin to five points several times in the final minutes but could get no closer.