Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on July 4, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Darius Acuff Jr. made his debut with the Sacramento Kings on Saturday as the Kings played the Brooklyn Nets in the California Classic.

The Kings and Nets tipped off at 2 p.m. PDT inside Golden 1 Center for the first basketball the arena had seen since the Kings wrapped up their regular season earlier this year.

The Kings defeated the Nets 79-76 on Saturday afternoon in front of a mostly full lower bowl inside G1C.

For the Kings, Alex Karaban did not play in their first California Classic game after spraining his ankle during practice on Thursday.

Darius Acuff Jr. got off to a slow start to his Kings career, as he started 1-for-9 in the first quarter while the Nets buried the Kings in a 21-10 hole. Acuff was able to flip the script a bit in the second quarter as he shot 2-for-5 from the field and had a few nice moves to create space and get to the basket.

Emanuel Sharp got off to a slow start as well in the first half, finishing the half shooting 2-for-9 from the field while hitting two 3-pointers for the Kings. Sharp was active on the defensive end while showing off his 3-point shooting.

In the second half, Acuff Jr. got himself going late to propel the Kings back into the game. Acuff Jr. finished the game shooting 9-for-29 and led the Kings with 25 points.

“I think there was obviously a lot of ebbs and flows in that game,” Kings coach Chris Darnell said after the game regarding Acuff Jr. “We do want Darius to be aggressive, but I think the way he was playing at the start of the game, part of it was the way that they were defending him, but I think he had more of an ability at that point to get to the paint, create for others. I think we can help him as teammates doing that.”

Acuff Jr. spoke candidly to the media about his performance and the speed of the game.

“It was a little rough to start. I think I was getting rushed a little bit, something I don’t normally do, but I’m just glad we got the win. Stayed a little poised down the stretch, and I’m going to be better next time for sure.”

Nique Clifford shined for the Kings in what was the beginning of his second season with the club. Clifford finished the game with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, including his game-winning 3-pointer on the Kings’ final possession.

“I thought he [Acuff Jr.] was going to ISO and drive to the rim, but I stay ready,” Nique said after the game. “That’s what I work on every single day, staying ready for those types of shots. He trusted me, passed it to me, and I just made a play.”

The Kings will play again on Sunday at 2 p.m. PDT against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the California Classic.