Big nights from Sabonis & Acuff aren’t enough as Kings fall to Blazers

The Sacramento Kings had every opportunity to turn Friday night into a completely different story. They just couldn’t finish it.

After blowing a 64-59 halftime lead with a disastrous third quarter, Sacramento fought all the way back behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and got within three late in the fourth.

But when the Kings needed a big shot, they couldn’t find it. Portland answered with a couple of buckets, pushed the lead back to seven with under two minutes remaining, and never looked back.

The Trail Blazers walked out of Golden 1 Center with a 128-120 victory, dropping Sacramento to 0-2 to start the season.

And somehow, Acuff was both one of the biggest reasons the Kings were in position to win and one of the biggest reasons they were in such a hole in the first place.

3️⃣ for the rook 🙌 https://t.co/pPGd03jFxR

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 24, 2026

The rookie was struggling badly early, continuing the shooting issues that followed him from Summer League and Wednesday’s season opener. He started Friday night 3-for-10 from the field and 0-for-5 from three at halftime.

But Acuff never stopped attacking. That eventually paid off.

After starting his NBA career 0-for-14 from three, Acuff finally knocked down the first triple of his career in the fourth quarter. He hit another shortly after, then converted a four-point play with 4:51 remaining to cut Portland’s once-double-digit lead to three.

Suddenly, the kid who couldn’t buy a three-pointer was carrying the Kings back into the game.

Acuff finished with 33 points (the tenth-highest-scoring game by a Kings rookie in the Sacramento era) on 10-of-26 shooting, going 2-of-10 from three and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line in 36 minutes.

There are obviously things to clean up. But the aggression was exactly what Sacramento needed. Acuff didn’t hide after another rough shooting night. He kept attacking, kept taking the shots, and eventually found his rhythm when the Kings needed him most.

Unfortunately for Sacramento, it wasn’t enough.

Tou drills it from three 👌 https://t.co/oYdapol3GH

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 24, 2026

The Sacramento Kings’ biggest problem on Friday was what happened immediately after halftime.

Portland opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run, completely flipping the momentum. The Blazers made five threes in the first six minutes of the quarter after making only four in the entire first half.

Sacramento had no answer.

The Kings were outscored 44-26 in the third quarter, while Portland shot 8-of-19 (42%) from three. Sacramento, meanwhile, went just 4-of-22 from deep in the period.

The 10-0 Blazers run to start the half signaled trouble to come, a run Domantas Sabonis called a game-changing series of events postgame.

Sacramento allowed 41 points in the first quarter against the Clippers on Wednesday, then 44 in the third quarter two nights later. Through two games, the Kings have already surrendered 40-plus points in a quarter twice.

That’s not sustainable. And neither is the three-point shooting. The Kings finished Friday night just 8-of-30 from beyond the arc, a brutal 27 percent, which now matches their totals for the young season (16/58, 27%).

Sabonis did everything he could to keep Sacramento in it.

Sabonis with the THROW DOWN👏 https://t.co/pI2OpJ8EeY

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 24, 2026

After saying before the game that he wanted the offense to run through him, Sabonis delivered exactly that kind of performance.

The three-time All-Star finished with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for his 69th career triple-double, moving him into 10th place on the NBA’s all-time list.

He even knocked down his first three-pointer of the season on his first attempt of the season late in the fourth, pulling Sacramento within three with 3:21 remaining.

But the Kings couldn’t get over the hump. They had chances late. Acuff missed a three. LaVine missed one, too. Portland responded with buckets, and just like that, the comeback effort was gone.

Sacramento showed enough fight to erase the damage it did to itself in the third quarter. Acuff showed enough confidence to turn a brutal shooting night into a 33-point performance. Sabonis put together another monster game.

But the Kings still couldn’t close. And at 0-2, the same questions that followed them out of Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers still linger.

Highest-scoring games by Kings rookies in the Sacramento era (1985-present):

Lionel Simmons 42 PTS (1991)
Walt Williams 40 PTS (1993)
Lionel Simmons 38 PTS (1991)
Walt Williams 37 PTS (1993)
Travis Mays 36 PTS (1990)
Lionel Simmons 35 PTS (1991)
Walt Williams 35 PTS (1993)
Ricky Berry 34 PTS (1989)
Tyreke Evans 34 PTS (2010)
Darius Acuff Jr. 33 PTS (2026)

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) October 24, 2026

Notes

After scoring 10 points on three-of-four shooting in the first quarter, Keegan Murray scored just two more points over the final three quarters on Friday night.

Precious Achiuwa had another solid game off the bench, adding 14 points and six rebounds in the losing effort.

Sacramento Kings Injury Updates

Maxime Raynaud (right patellar subluxation) will be re-evaluated in one week.

Dylan Cardwell (left calf strain) will be re-evaluated in one week.

Ben Simmons underwent successful surgery to address a torn right Achilles tendon and will miss the entire 2026-27 season.

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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