Edwards, Ford lead Sacramento Kings to win over T-Wolves

Jul 13, 2023, 8:55 PM | Updated: 8:56 pm

(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

Kessler Edwards has received a lot of criticism regarding his Summer League performance thus far, but the third-year forward finally found his rhythm on Thursday.

The Sacramento Kings benefited from a bounce-back performance from Edwards and the rest of the offense while picking up its second win in Las Vegas Summer League, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 93-80 at Cox Pavilion.

With the win, the Kings improved to 2-2 in Summer League and will face the Milwaukee Bucks in their final summer game on Saturday afternoon.

Making the extra pass 🤌pic.twitter.com/5tT9gh5963

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) July 14, 2023

The Kings’ offense brushed off a sluggish start to mount an early eight-point lead during the first quarter, and from that point on, they didn’t look back.

Sacramento benefitted from solid starts out of Edwards, Jordan Ford, and Keon Ellis while holding Minnesota in check from three-point land.

Edwards was the brightest spot for the Kings on Thursday, scoring a team-high 18 points on six-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal over 30 minutes.

Joining Edwards on the offensive attack was high-scoring guard Jordan Ford, who continued his push for the third-string point guard spot. The Folsom native finished with 17 points, seven assists, and one steal on seven-of-14 shooting over 32 minutes of action.

While it’s currently unknown what Sacramento general manager Monte McNair will do with the team’s third and final two-way contract, Ford has done all you could ask for to showcase his NBA potential.

Joining Ford in the backcourt on Thursday was Kings guard Keon Ellis, who turned in another impressive performance on both ends of the floor.

Keon "Klutch" Ellis 😤
@Tyrese_Ellis00 | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/0eUCO3ozaL

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 14, 2023

Ellis checked all the boxes against Minnesota, scoring 12 points (four-of-nine shooting), dishing out five assists, and grabbing four rebounds while swiping a game-high three steals over 29 minutes.

The Alabama product continues to show his potential as a two-way player that can defend positions one through three, and Ellis’ production on the offensive end has been a cherry on top of his Summer League performance thus far.

Rounding Out The Box Score

Mike Daum finished the night with four blocked shots and eight points during his start for Sacramento, while Chance Comanche added 12 points and four rebounds on four-of-five shooting off the bench.

Another bright spot for the Kings during Thursday’s win was sharpshooting forward Alex O’Connell’s performance, as the Creighton alumni finished the game with 15 points on five-of-nine shooting from beyond the three-point line and two steals over just 16 minutes.

After shooting 37 percent from deep during 32 appearances with Sacramento’s G-League affiliate Stockton last season, O’Connell is shooting nine-of-15 (60%) from downtown during the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League combined.

the 🧈-y trey ball from AO extends the Kings run to 9-0 🙌
@Alex_OC11 | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/PKOjQHVw9P

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 14, 2023

Injury Update

Rookie guard Colby Jones left the game with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter of Thursday’s game after appearing to injure his hip during a dunk attempt.

Jones fell from the air after making contact with a Timberwolves defender and came down hard on his hip. Sacramento’s medical staff looked at the Xavier product before walking Jones to the locker room.

The 21-year-old did not return, and his status for this weekend’s Summer League finale will be determined in the coming days.

Next Game

Sacramento will take the floor for the final time this summer when they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday at 1:30 PM PST (televised on NBA TV).

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. TEAM coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 with live tweets, a postgame recap on the website following the game, and analysis during Monday morning’s edition of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.