Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Sacramento Kings looks on before the game against the LA Clippers on October 21, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
LOS ANGELES–The Sacramento Kings opened the 2026-27 season on Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood as they took on the Clippers.
The Kings were coming off a forgettable 22-60 year last season that saw them go through long losing stretches. The Kings were the victims of a number of injuries last season, and they would look to have a better year with even a little bit more luck in the health department. The Kings sent a starting lineup of De’Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Darius Acuff Jr. to the floor to open up the season.
The Clippers had their way with the Kings on opening night as they defeated Sacramento 121-96.
In the first quarter, the Kings’ perimeter defense struggled mightily against the Clippers. The Clippers shot 70% from behind the arc as they tormented the Kings for 41 points in the opening quarter. On the offensive side, the Kings managed to put up 29 points as Zach LaVine scored eight in the opening quarter to give the Kings a spark.
In the second quarter, it was more of the same from LaVine as he put up another solid quarter, scoring 10 points to keep the Kings in it. The Kings managed to outscore the Clippers 25-20 in the second to cut into the Clippers’ first-quarter lead and go into halftime trailing 61-54. The Kings’ defense stepped up in the second quarter while the offense managed to keep pace. Zach LaVine finished the first half with 18 points, and Domantas Sabonis had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double.
In the third quarter, things began to spiral again for the Kings as the second unit struggled to score. The Kings fell further behind as they were outscored by the Clippers 32-16 in the third en route to a 93-70 deficit heading into the final quarter of the game. Darius Acuff Jr. struggled in the first three quarters as he went 3-for-21 with eight points in his NBA debut. The Kings’ scattered defense and inconsistent offense needed to be cleaned up in a hurry to try and mount a comeback in the final quarter of the game.
In the fourth quarter, the Kings weren’t able to mount any such comeback. The fourth was more competitive, but it proved meaningless as the game was already mostly decided heading into it. Doug Christie emptied his bench and got the likes of Nique Clifford, Alex Karaban, Daeqwon Plowden and company some extended run late in the game. The Clippers outscored the Kings 28-26 as they defeated them 121-96 in the first game of the season.
Zach LaVine led the Kings in the defeat with 28 points on 19 shots. Domantas Sabonis added a 14-point, 18-rebound and eight-assist double-double in his first game of the season.
Doug Christie spoke to the media after the game about the slow start the team got off to on Wednesday in the loss.
“Got to be able to keep people in front of you. They were knocking down shots at a high clip, but it comes from the pride of defensive intensity and keeping the ball in front of you. We cut it to five, 56-61, and just not enough. Sometimes we’re just letting our offense affect our defense, and it just can’t happen.”
As for the positives, Zach LaVine had an impressive showing on Wednesday to start the season.
“Yeah, it feels good. It’s part of my job. I’ve been doing this for a long time. Hopefully I can help and relieve some pressure, but, you guys know, that’s what I do. I felt good, and obviously I wish we could have carried that over into the third quarter.”
As for Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr., Kings head coach Doug Christie isn’t worried about his shooting struggles in his debut as he went 5-for-24.
“We’ll go back and look at the film, but he’s young, learning when to shoot, when to pass, time and score, all those different things. He’s one that I don’t worry about. He’ll be fine. He takes this absolutely personally, so he’ll be in the gym, he’ll do his thing. I’m not worried about him. Plus, he wants to win more than anything. So when you show him what it takes to win, and how to digest it and how to go about it, he’s going to do that.”
The Kings will go back to the drawing board as they prepare for their home opener on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7 p.m. PDT. The Blazers beat the Suns by 41 points on Wednesday and are poised with confidence as they come to Sacramento.
