What to make of Sacramento’s home-opening loss

The Sacramento Kings looked more connected in Friday’s home opener than they did in their season debut, but a disastrous third quarter led to another loss.

On the latest episode of Sactown Sports’ The Matt George Podcast, Matt George reacted to Sacramento’s 128-120 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers, Darius Acuff Jr.’s 33-point night, and Domantas Sabonis’ triple-double.

Coming off a 121-96 loss to the Clippers, the Kings showed a better offensive rhythm early. They moved the ball, played through Sabonis and built a 12-point lead.

That was a notable shift after Sacramento scored just 96 points in its opener, shot 8-for-28 from three and missed 12 free throws. George had questioned the team’s half-court offense and whether the Kings had used their preseason effectively to build chemistry.

“This game was far more competitive throughout all four quarters,” George said. “The Kings had a chance to win this game down the stretch.”

(The Matt George Podcast is brought to you by IBEW Local 340 & Power Business Technology)

The Sacramento Kings’ progress unraveled after halftime. Portland opened the third quarter with a 15-0 run and outscored Sacramento 44-26 in the period.

George said the Kings lost their ball movement and became less physical defensively, allowing the Blazers to turn a five-point halftime deficit into a 14-point lead.

Acuff finished with 33 points in his second NBA game, though he shot 2-for-10 from three. George liked the rookie’s shot selection overall but saw him hold the ball too long during the third-quarter collapse. Acuff, meanwhile, refused to celebrate his scoring total after the loss.

“It doesn’t matter. We lost the game. It doesn’t matter. I need to be better,” Acuff said after the game. He also credited Sabonis for creating opportunities and getting him the ball.

Sabonis delivered 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in his 69th career triple-double. Returning from knee surgery, he looked aggressive and shot 10-for-13 from the field.

George described the performance as “Beam Team Domantas Sabonis,” a welcome sign after the center’s limited preseason.

The Sacramento Kings made a late push, with Acuff and Zach LaVine hitting key shots, but Portland held on. Sacramento is 0-2, yet George said the effort and competitiveness against the Trail Blazers could give fans something to build on.

“If you could take games like this—the competitiveness, the effort—and bottle that up over the final 80 games,” George said, “this season is going to be manageable.”

Listen to all episodes of The Matt George Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and watch each episode on SactownSports.com, the Sactown Sports app, or the Sactown Sports YouTube page.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

• Sam Amick on Doug Christie’s job security & Zach LaVine’s trade value
• Mark Jones on the Kings’ keys to success in 2026-27
• Sacramento Kings fans rank 6th in Nielsen NBA Fandom Index
• Kenny Caraway wants to see an aggressive Zach LaVine

Sacramento Kings 2026-27 Regular Season Schedule

• Sunday, October 25th vs. Memphis Grizzlies (6:00 P.M. PT)
• Tuesday, October 27th @ San Antonio Spurs (5:00 P.M. PT)
• Thursday, October 29th @ New Orleans Pelicans (5:00 P.M. PT)
• Saturday, October 31st @ Memphis Grizzlies (5:00 P.M. PT)
• Monday, November 2nd @ Dallas Mavericks (5:00 P.M. PT)

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