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Sacramento Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. scored a team-high 33 points in his home debut, but the Kings fell 128-120 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
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The Kings (0-2) started strong, leading by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, but held just a five-point lead at halftime. The Trail Blazers seized control early in the second half, leading by as many as 14 points. Portland held off a late Sacramento rally, highlighted by a 3-pointer from center Domantas Sabonis that cut the deficit to 121-118 with 3:21 left.
Acuff scored 33 points despite shooting just 2 of 11 from 3-point range, with both of his 3-pointers coming during the fourth-quarter rally.
Sabonis recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Zach LaVine added 22 points, while Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija led Portland (2-0) with 26 points.
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Acuff praised Sabonis after the game.
“The chemistry with him is great. He makes everybody better on the floor,” said Acuff, calling the center “a great teammate to have in my first year.”
Acuff addressed the sold-out crowd at Golden 1 Center before the game, thanking fans for their support and promising the team would play hard this season. But he wasn’t satisfied with his performance after the loss.
“If we don’t get to win, it really don’t matter,” he said.
Both teams wore commemorative jersey patches honoring the late NBA coach Rick Adelman, who led the Kings to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1998 through 2006. Adelman also played for the inaugural Trail Blazers team in 1970 and coached Portland to two NBA Finals appearances in the early 1990s. The teams will wear the patches throughout the season.
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