Davion Mitchell recorded a career-high 17 assists to go along with 15 points, as the Kings fall to the Pelicans in their final home game of the season.
Despite the Kings dropping their final home game of the season on Tuesday, Davion Mitchell was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing night for Sacramento.
Sacramento fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 123-109 at Golden 1 Center, but it was a record-breaking night for Mitchell as he earned his second career double-double with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 17 assists.
If that last stat seems impressive, it’s because it is.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Mitchell’s performance on Tuesday night put him in the record books with the most assists in one game by a Kings rookie in the Sacramento era, passing Kenny Smith’s single-game record of 15 in 1988. Mitchell’s 17 assists were the most by an NBA rookie this season and sixth out of all players.
Per Franklin Cartoscelli of Sports 1140 KHTK, Mitchell is among just seven NBA rookies since the 1995-96 season to record at least 15 points and 17 assists in a single game.
The 23-year-old point guard told reporters after the loss that he’s trying to be more helpful to his teammates as he struggles with his shots -- and his efforts showed on the court.
“I think for me, each game I’m getting more and more comfortable,” Mitchell said. “The last few games I didn’t shoot the ball well, but I think I facilitated the ball really well. So I’m just trying to do things other than score the ball, get my teammates involved and try to do the best thing to win.”
NBA
The rising star was coy about his new Kings record and place in NBA history.
“My teammates are just making shots every time I was passing the ball,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t really realize it, but I feel like every time I pass the ball my teammates are making shots. So credit to my teammates.
“It makes you feel good to make history, but at the end of the day we lost the game so it really don’t mean too much to me.”
Aside from Mitchell’s exciting night, the Kings’ last game in Sacramento this season didn’t go how they had hoped. The Pelicans outscored them in every quarter, but the Kings still had noteworthy performances from Damian Jones (22 points on 8-of-10 shooting) and Jeremy Lamb (15 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five assists).
Harrison Barnes and Chimezie Metu combined for 24 points with 12 apiece, and Barnes also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
RELATED: 2022 NBA mock draft: Kings take Auburn forward No. 1 overall
After the Kings were eliminated from playoff contention for an NBA-record 16th-straight season on Sunday, it was Barnes who called for Sacramento’s new, young core to focus on finishing the season strong.
Mitchell did exactly that on Tuesday and reminded Kings fans that the future in Sacramento is bright.
Following the loss, the Kings dropped to 29-51 on the season with just two games remaining on the schedule. They’ll hit the road this weekend to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, then the Phoenix Suns on Sunday to close out the season.
