Kings vs Bulls at 2025 Summer League on (Photo: Jeremiah Salmonson)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
LAS VEGAS — The Sacramento Kings played their second game of the 2K26 Summer League on Saturday afternoon inside the Cox Pavilion. The Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls 109-92 to stay undefeated at 2-0 in Summer League.
Devin Carter on a mission for the Kings
Devin came out in the second game of Summer League much more effective than the first game. Carter opened the game with 13 points and two rebounds in the first quarter for the Kings. He would go on to finish the first half with 21 points and 2 assists to lead the Kings. In the second half, Carter continued to play at a high level as he finished the game with 30 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
Kings Summer League head coach Dipesh Mistry was impressed with Carter and his bounce-back performance after the game.
“Devin was great. He was aggressive, he hunted shots, he got to the paint. He made great plays as well. He did a great job.”
Devin Carter himself spoke with us after the game and was pleased with the way he bounced back after a rough first game.
“Definitely a bounce back game…,” Carter said. “All the coaches, they just told me to be aggressive, but the first game, like I said, I wasn’t really being aggressive, taking good shots, I was taking different shots and stuff. So just let the game slow down.”
Devin could be seen in both games adjusting his surgically repaired shoulder—something that certainly appeared alarming. It turns out he had tweaked it earlier in mini camp and has just been playing through some pain recently. The re-aggravation doesn’t appear to be a serious issue and is simply a matter of Devin playing through it.
“My shoulder feels a lot better than it did the first game,” Carter said. “I mean I tweaked it the day before the game and scrimmage that we had [back in Sacramento]. So yeah, I was kind of playing hesitant the first day, but I just had a lot of treatment, a lot of Advil.”
I clarified with Devin if this seems to be an ongoing issue, and he shut me down quickly.
“It wasn’t today [bothering me] really until I fell. It was a little bit, but no, definitely the first game… Ever since I had the surgery, it’ll have its episodes where it’ll hurt a few days and unfortunately for the first game it happened the day before. So it’s fresh.”
Carter seems to think it won’t affect him moving forward, and his head coach Dipesh Mistry has no concerns either.
“There’s nothing really I’m aware of. He’s able to play.”
Nique Clifford has solid all-around follow-up to the first game
Nique Clifford had his full game on display on Saturday. Nique finished the game with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. It was a bit of a different look from Clifford, who took a while to get going in the first game. Clifford was distributing from the start on Saturday and did an excellent job rebounding for the Kings. It was an all-around solid effort from Nique that followed his strong second-half debut on Thursday night.
His rebounding and passing were on full display in the game. Coach Dip, after the game, said Clifford made a lot of the right reads—and that’s what he continues to want to see from the rookie.
“For his passing, it’s just making the right play. If he consistently makes the right play, he’s good. So it’s not just passing, it’s like he’s got to look at the rim and he’s got to attract the low man. He’s got to attract the help. And then from there he makes the read. It might be score. It is not really just about passing, it’s more about making the right read.”
Maxime Raynaud has quiet, solid night
The unsung performance of the night certainly goes to Maxime Raynaud. He had another solid offensive game in a matchup that was mostly dominated by Devin Carter. Maxime finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the game.
We have yet to really see Maxime’s defensive presence around the rim in Summer League. Time will tell if that becomes a focus for him in his early career with the Kings.
This Kings group at Summer League has been fun to watch, and it will be interesting to see how the main group of young guys will fit into Kings head coach Doug Christie’s plans come training camp.
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⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
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