by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings trailed the Houston Rockets by one point with 49.5 seconds to go in the third quarter of the Summer League game on Sunday in Las Vegas. The Rockets then went on a 16-0 run and never looked back as they defeated the Kings 85-73. Sacramento is now 0-2 in Summer League play.

Rookie Malachi Richardson led all Sacramento scorers with 20 points. Richardson played 31 minutes. He shot 6-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line. Richardson went 5-for-9 from the free throw line, grabbed seven rebounds (one 0ffensive), one assist and one steal. He turned the ball over three times and committed three personal fouls.

Georgios Papaiannis saw his first action for the Kings on Sunday after having a MRI done on his knee. The 7-foot-1 center played 18 minutes and scored eight points. He shot 4-for-7 from the field, hauled in five rebounds (one offensive) and committed two turnovers. After the game, Papagiannis expressed frustration with his performance and pledged to better in upcoming games to the Sacramento Bee.

Willie Cauley-Stein saw 26 minutes of playing against the Rockets. He scored 11 points but shot just 3-for-11 in the game. He did shoot 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Cauley-Stein also had six rebounds (2 offensive), two assists, three steals and two blocked shots in the game. He was charged with three personal fouls and had one turnover.

David Stockton played at guard for Sacramento. Stockton who has played for the Kings on 10-day contracts and has been a player for the Kings D-League affiliate in Reno scored 14 points and dished out five assists. Stockton also made some news of his own as it was revealed that he has signed to play with KK Cedevita Zagreb in Croatia. One would wonder if some Vlade Divac connections might be involved this signing.

The Kings will be back in action on Monday night when they will play the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 PM PDT. Both teams are looking for their first win of the Summer League season.