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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Darius Acuff Jr. said the Sacramento Kings’ 1-10 start is taking a toll on him. Acuff scored 29 points Tuesday night in Sacramento’s fourth straight loss, 107-100 to the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center.
Acuff met with reporters after the game in the Kings’ postgame availability. ESPN reported that he was asked whether the losses had started to take a toll.
“A lot,” Acuff said. “I’m not a loser, so it’s not fun. But like I said, it’s an 82-game season.”
Against Orlando, the seventh overall pick in June’s draft shot 10-of-21 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line. He added 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 40 minutes. Acuff is 19 and turns 20 on Monday.
Darius Acuff Jr. Has 288 Points Through 11 Games
Through 11 starts, Acuff is averaging 26.2 points and 7.3 assists in 37.4 minutes. ESPN reported that his scoring average ranks ninth in the NBA. His 288 points are the most by a rookie through the first 11 games of a season since Michael Jordan scored 289 for the Chicago Bulls in 1984, according to ESPN.
Sacramento selected Acuff seventh overall out of Arkansas in June. He averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists in his lone college season.
On Sunday, he had 32 points and 10 assists in a 114-108 home loss to the Miami Heat. His career highs are 38 points and 14 assists, according to Basketball-Reference. Sacramento’s only win came Nov. 2 at the Dallas Mavericks, 115-100, when Acuff scored 25. The Kings entered Wednesday tied with the Utah Jazz and the Milwaukee Bucks for the worst record in the NBA.
“I don’t know what to do,” Acuff said. “I feel like we’re trying, everybody as a whole. We’re just not coming out with the win. 1-10 just don’t sound right.”
Zach LaVine scored 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, going 6-of-9 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 at the line. ESPN reported that LaVine said after the game that Acuff is “going to be real special.”
Sacramento Kings Committed 20 Turnovers Against Orlando
Acuff had 4 of Sacramento’s 20 turnovers, and LaVine had 5. ESPN reported that Acuff said the Kings need to “clean up” their mistakes.
With 8:02 left, the Magic led 92-78. Anthony Black made a pullup jumper for a 103-90 lead with 2:15 remaining. LaVine then scored Sacramento’s next 8 points, and his second 3-pointer of that stretch made it 103-98 with 45 seconds left. Franz Wagner made 2 free throws with 21 seconds to play for a 105-98 lead.
Wagner scored a season-high 33 points with 7 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting 11-of-23 from the field and 10-of-10 at the line. Black, who also played at Arkansas, had 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Sacramento is 0-6 at Golden 1 Center this season.
“We try,” Acuff said. “I think we’ve just got to come together at the end in the fourth quarter and just kind of get better as a team and close the games. We’ve got to figure it out at some point.”
Domantas Sabonis returned from left knee soreness and went scoreless in 24 minutes, missing both of his shots and both of his free throws. He had 2 rebounds and 5 assists and sat the final 8:02.
The Kings host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, with tip-off at 10 p.m. ET. Both teams are in West Group C of the Emirates NBA Cup, and Friday’s game is a group play matchup. Portland is 7-3.
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