Karaban breaks through, but Kings’ comeback effort falls short vs. Celtics

The Sacramento Kings didn’t have to wait long to get back on the hardwood following Tuesday’s ugly loss to the Brooklyn Nets, but Wednesday’s contest also ended in defeat.

A short-handed Kings team dropped an 82-76 game to the Boston Celtics at the Thomas & Mack Center, one that dropped Sacramento to 1-3 in Las Vegas.

Sacramento was without Darius Acuff Jr., Maxime Raynaud, and Nique Clifford due to rest purposes on the second night of a back-to-back, opening the door for players like Alex Karaban, Emanuel Sharp, and Jonathan Mogbo to get more run as Summer League winds down.

Karaban and Sharp had some strong moments, but Boston forward Hugo Gonzalez’s massive night (24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) paved the way for a Celtics victory.

The Kings will wrap up their summer slate of games on Friday afternoon before heading home and preparing for the start of the 2026-27 season.

29th overall pick Alex Karaban knocks down the 3-pointer to cut the lead to 2 🎯

Watch Celtics/Kings on ESPN2! pic.twitter.com/JeMvFkjR6S

— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2026

NBA Las Vegas Summer League | Kings vs. Celtics takeaways

The start to Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets featured sloppy play and turnovers that opened the door to a sizable deficit for the Sacramento Kings.

Somehow, Wednesday’s opening period was even worse.

While Sacramento did a better job controlling the basketball this time around, its offense fell flat against Boston. The Kings could only muster four points on two-of-21 (9%) shooting from the field, putting them in a familiar spot as they fell behind by double digits early to immediately take the wind out of their sails.

Emanuel Sharp followed up his 23-point showing against Brooklyn by leading all Sacramento scorers during the first half (seven points), but a depleted Kings lineup scored just 28 points on 31 percent shooting from the field and two-of-14 (14%) from downtown.

While Sacramento struggled to break through on offense, the Celtics–who also had a tough time generating offense–built a 13-point lead at the break.

Sharp is back to business 🏹
⠀
Splash of the Game presented by @KJWines pic.twitter.com/ByhbQ3CKER

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 16, 2026

29th overall pick Alex Karaban has struggled since making his debut after injuring his ankle during California Classic practices, but the UConn product finally broke through on Wednesday.

Karaban, who had scored just seven points over his first three Summer League appearances combined, crossed the ten-point mark early in the second half as the Kings attempted to keep things from going off the rails.

The rookie duo of Karaban and Sharp paced a strong third quarter that saw Sacramento cut it to a single-digit game, but Sharp’s exit at the start of the fourth after taking a shot to the face put some water on the Kings’ comeback efforts.

With the game on the line late, Sacramento’s offense ran through Karaban, and a late triple made things interesting as Boston led by two points with less than a minute to go. The Celtics answered on the next possession to make it a two-score game, all but putting things away for good.

Karaban was the main takeaway in this one, and the forward sorely needed a breakthrough performance after failing to put together a solid showing over three games in Las Vegas.

Through three appearances, Karaban had scored seven points, pulled down nine rebounds, and shot three-of-15 (20%) from the field and one-of-nine (11%) from beyond the arc.

Wednesday was a different story.

back to back 3s for #33 😤 pic.twitter.com/NpdYujkFZ4

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 16, 2026

Karaban led all Kings scorers with 21 points on seven-of-15 shooting from the field and five-of-seven from deep, and did so while creating a good amount of his scoring opportunities. On the heels of a five-rebound showing 24 hours prior, the recent First Team All-Big East talent swiped eight boards, only trailing Jonathan Mogbo’s team-high 11.

Sacramento’s two other rookies, Acuff and Sharp, each had big moments during the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. Karaban missed all three Classic games, and it was clear there was some rust he was working through during his start here at UNLV.

General manager Scott Perry was high on Karaban during his draft process, and Wednesday’s performance tells the story of why.

Having a 6’8 wing that can crash and be a threat on the perimeter is exactly what a team with Acuff and Domantas Sabonis as offensive hubs needs, and it was refreshing to see Karaban tap into his offense for the first time in a Kings uniform.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?

The Sacramento Kings will conclude their Las Vegas Summer League slate on Friday afternoon when they face the Charlotte Hornets at 3:30 PM PT at UNLV’s Pavilion.

Sactown Sports will be ON SITE in Las Vegas ALL WEEK LONG from July 12-19th! Be sure to remain locked into Sactown Sports for your Sacramento Kings Summer League news, analysis, and much more!

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Offseason Schedule

• Thursday, July 9th – Sunday, July 19th – NBA Las Vegas Summer League
• August TBD – 2026-27 NBA Schedule release
• Late September – NBA training camps begin

2026 Sacramento Kings Las Vegas Summer League Schedule

• Friday, July 17th: vs. Charlotte Hornets – 3:30 p.m. PT (Prime)

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