Darius Acuff Jr. and the Sacramento Kings opened the 2026 NBA Summer League on by taking control of their game against Keaton Wagler and the LA Clippers, and by halftime the Kings had the edge. Acuff, the No. 7 pick, had 12 points and four assists at the break, while Sacramento kept the pressure on with a physical, defensive edge that made the Clippers work for everything.
That mattered because this was one of the first live looks at two top-10 picks in Las Vegas, with Wagler going No. 5 and carrying the weight of expectations into his first summer league action. Sacramento was not just ahead on the scoreboard; it was playing through ball movement and contact, the kind of start Perry said the team wanted when he described the Kings as aiming to be one of the hardest-playing teams in the league and warned that the opponent would be in for a full fight.
The numbers backed it up. Sacramento had 19 assists on 24 shots later in the update, and LA was shooting 28.6% from the field. Dylan Cardwell was the other force in the game, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and a team-high plus-18, after already posting 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists by halftime. Acuff had also climbed to 14 points and six assists by the later update, giving Sacramento a steady lead from the perimeter and the paint.
Wagler’s line showed the gap that made the game worth watching. The No. 5 pick had only three points, one assist and one three-pointer by halftime, while Emanuel Sharp had eight points and two threes while defending him. Cam Christie led LA with 11 points at the break, but the Clippers never matched Sacramento’s pace or its 16-8 edge in points in the paint.
The live update did not lock in the final score, but it left the same impression the box score was already pointing to: Sacramento had the cleaner start, the sharper movement and the stronger physical profile on a day when every NBA team was sending out rookies, sophomores and other hopefuls to chase a Summer League title. In a crowded opening slate, the Kings and Clippers stood out because the game already looked like a measuring stick for two young guards under the national spotlight.
