Kings Turn Ball Over 28 Times in Blowout Loss Against Nets

The Sacramento Kings were bothered by the Brooklyn Nets' length and defensive activity — as they forced 28 turnovers in their 115-83 blowout victory on Tuesday evening at the Thomas and Mack Center.

Sacramento falls to 1-2 in the Las Vegas Summer League, and Brooklyn improves to 2-1. The Nets also had 21 steals, a plus-14 advantage over the Kings.

Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting and five assists. Egor Dëmin was Brooklyn's leading scorer with 22 points on 5-for-12 shooting and eight assists.

Sacramento drew first blood after nice ball movement that ended in a Dylan Cardwell dunk (assisted by Alex Karaban). Cardwell's first points were the only easy offense for the Kings, as the Nets' defensive pressure often forced turnovers.

Brooklyn went on an offensive avalanche, responding with an 8-0 run. Once the lead was taken, it was secured for the rest of the game. Drake Powell, who did not hit a three in four summer league games, drained a few in the first quarter.

The Kings could not gain any ground on their opponent. Acuff Jr. had a better showing getting to his spots, as he used his quick first step to blow past Danny Wolf for an and-1 layup.

His nifty ball-handling kept Nets defenders on their heels, allowing him to penetrate the paint to score or find an open teammate. Brooklyn led by 20 points at the end of the first (38-18).

The Nets' offense did not cool off, pushing their lead to 30 points in the second. Nique Clifford and Cardwell made concerted efforts to keep the lead under 30 points with layups assisted by Maxime Raynaud.

However, their efforts did not last long as Powell hit a jumper to hit the 30-point mark for Brooklyn. Emanuel Sharp's three-point shooting helped cut into the deficit, as he was lights out from beyond the arc.

Sacramento's second-round pick nailed 6 of his 11 three-point attempts in a 23-point performance. Both teams played each other evenly in the second (18-16), but the Kings were still down 22 points (56-34).

Sharp and Acuff Jr. attempted to spearhead a comeback, as the duo heated up in the third quarter. Acuff Jr. continued getting to his spots and knocked down a couple of threes; Sharp also picked up four steals, showcasing the hard-nosed defense he played at Houston.

The Kings had a much better second half, scoring 49 points, but the hole they dug themselves in the first quarter was too much to overcome. They are on a two-game skid in the summer league after their loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Sacramento will play its fourth summer league game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

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