The Kings were missing one of their top scoring and play-making options for Thursday’s Summer League game and it showed, as Sacramento sputtered and repeatedly misfired in a 73-69 loss to the Washington Wizards at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Keon Ellis, who has been one of the Kings’ most consistent offensive players during the summer, did not play and sat at the end of the bench wearing street clothes.
That opened the door for Sacramento’s other Ellis, Boogie Ellis, to try to enhance his status and the 6-foot-3 guard did that, scoring a team-high 15 points with a trio of 3-pointers.
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Isaac Jones had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go with two steals and three blocks. Drew Timme added 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. Mason Jones had a terrific all-around game with 11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
The Kings grabbed the momentum early but couldn’t sustain it and trailed 43-35 at halftime. Sacramento cut the gap to two points heading into the fourth quarter then made a late surge in the final minutes to set up a little drama in the waning moments.
Mason Jones scored on a layup to give the Kings a 69-68 lead with 1:04 remaining but that was the last time Sacramento scored.
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After Boogie Ellis forced a turnover, Mason Jones air-balled a 3-point try and the Kings were whistled for a shot clock violation with 29 seconds remaining.
After Patrick Baldwin Jr. connected on a 3-pointer that put the Wizards back in front with 17 seconds remaining, the Kings misplayed their next possession and failed to get a shot off. Washington’s Jules Bernard then made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to seal the win.
Sacramento, which has lost three of its four games in Las Vegas, can’t get into the semifinals but is scheduled to play the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in one final summer league tilt.
Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s game:
Boogie boogies down in first quarter
With Keon Ellis sitting out the Kings turned to Boogie Ellis to shoulder some of scoring, which he did just fine early on.
Ellis, who averaged just six points through Sacramento’s first three Summer League games, nearly doubled that in the first quarter alone when he did the majority of his scoring. He put up 10 points and made a pair of 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, including one that he banked-in as the shot-clock expired.
Teams can never have enough scorers, and even though the Kings have an already crowded backcourt, Ellis could provide a big spark off the bench if he makes it onto the regular-season roster.
Mixed reviews for defense
For the most part, coach Doug Christie has done a great job getting the Kings to sell out on the defensive end during the Summer League games and they flashed some of that against the Wizards.
Sacramento limited Washington to 33 percent shooting and forced six turnovers in the first quarter when they also put the clamps on Alexandre Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Kings, though, couldn’t sustain that effort throughout the night.
The Wizards shook off the slow start and got their offense rolling during a 26-point second quarter before Sacramento tightened the screws again and shut it down, holding Washington to 30 points in the second half.
Turnover troubles
Ball security always is an issue in the Summer League mostly because of the lack of familiarity between the players. That hadn’t been much of a problem for the Kings but it definitely was a factor against the Wizards.
Without Keon Ellis, the Kings had trouble maintaining possession of the ball. Sacramento coughed up nine turnovers in the first half alone. Washington converted those into 11 points.
Overall, the Kings committed 17 turnovers that led to 18 points. That is an especially troubling stat considering that Sacramento forced Washington into 21 turnovers.