Darius Acuff Jr. #5 and Head Coach Chris Darnell of the Sacramento Kings talk during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 6, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings wrapped up their California Classic schedule on Monday night at Golden 1 Center against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. PDT. It was a good atmosphere for the Kings in their final California Classic game as they defeated the Bucks 95-89 to go undefeated in the tournament.
Let’s take a look at the Kings’ performances across the July 4 weekend California Classic.
Coming into the Kings’ first basketball action since the end of the 2025-26 season, there was a lot of hype surrounding the Kings and their draft picks, Darius Acuff Jr., Alex Karaban, and Emanuel Sharp. The Kings had what many people around the league dubbed a highly successful draft night, getting high-upside players with all of their selections.
For Acuff, he had mixed results in his Kings debut during the tournament. Acuff finished the weekend playing in two of the three games and tallying 58 minutes of action. He went 16-of-48 from the field and managed 47 points during his first two games of his young Kings career. Acuff impressed in some areas of his game, namely his passing, while also looking a bit sped up during his time on the court. Overall, it was exciting for Kings fans to see what they hope will be their future franchise cornerstone on the court for the first time.
On Monday, Darius Acuff Jr. treated the Golden 1 Center crowd to a dagger three-pointer with 23 seconds left in the game to put the Kings up six. It was a great moment for Kings fans who hope they will see much more of that during the regular season. However, any sort of conclusion about the young guard would be purely an overreaction at this point.
I asked Chris Darnell how Darius compared to the expectations coming into the California Classic.
“Darius and Nique’s ability to impact the point of attack defensively, take teams out of their offense… I want to see Darius run the show. Obviously create for himself, create for others, just feel the game. I think he did a great job of that tonight. It looked like he settled in a little bit more.”
Nique Clifford came into the California Classic as a bit of a surprise participant. Clifford, who is in his second year with the Kings, wasn’t necessarily a player many thought would participate in the annual summer games. Yet, he played in the first and third games and meshed well with the other young Kings on the court. Clifford played 57 minutes over his two games while scoring 17 points on 7-of-20 shooting.
Coach Darnell also spoke on what Nique provided during the California Classic and the way he has improved since last year.
“As far as Nique, somebody that we like playing closeouts aggressively, somebody that can also handle the ball… relieve some pressure for our other ball handlers and somebody that can attack the paint relentlessly. He’s got good size and athleticism. I thought he did a pretty good job of that these last three games.”
Dylan Cardwell was another second-year Kings player who continued his growth during his second California Classic. Cardwell brought energy into the building while totaling 20 rebounds, eight blocks, six steals, and 20 points across his 53 minutes of action in the two games he played.
Cardwell is obviously highly impactful defensively, but it was his offensive improvements that impressed the Kings during the tournament.
“Dylan offensively, created advantages with his screening ability and then put pressure on the paint with his rolling,” Darnell said. “I think he did a great job of that. He had four offensive rebounds, a couple of assists as well. And he’s a super selfless player.”
As for Cardwell, he’s focused on all aspects of his game, including being in great shape for the “elite conditioning” the Kings are emphasizing this year as a team.
“I’m really good at playing… in short spurts. And the thing now is how can I do that from two, three minutes of playing like that to six to eight minutes. And so that’s my focus conditioning-wise. How can I be guarding the ball screens? How can I run the floor? How can I go chase down rebounds and block shots and steals and all these things and do that for a longer duration?”
Emanuel Sharp, known for his shooting at Houston, came into the California Classic and really impressed as a point-of-attack defender, something he told me a week ago was a major emphasis heading into his first season.
“For me, it’s probably my defense,” Sharp said to me during his introductory press conference. “When people see me, they probably think of my shooting, but I like to pride myself on my defense first.”
Sharp played in the first two games of the California Classic and put up 31 points on 8-of-26 shooting in 61 minutes across the two contests.
Alex Karaban sprained his ankle during Kings practice on Thursday of last week and is set to be reevaluated on Friday. As of now, it is anticipated that he will be able to participate in Summer League action in Las Vegas.
The Kings will head to Las Vegas to begin the 2026 NBA Summer League at Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday at 8 p.m. PDT against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡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.
