The undefeated Summer Kings continued to roll in their victory over the Lakers.
The Sacramento Kings concluded their run at the California Classic with an 87-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon. They finished the three-game slate with a record of 3-0, by default earning the title of California Classic champions, and have not lost a game at Summer League since Davion Mitchell’s debut in Sacramento last July.
Summer League head coach Jordi Fernández rolled out a starting lineup of newly inked two-way players Neemias Queta and Keon Ellis alongside Keegan Murray, Frankie Ferrari and Alex O’Connell.
Despite Murray’s lackluster outing on Sunday, the No. 4 overall pick returned to the hardwood with a more aggressive disposition — logging 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in the first five minutes of the contest.
Queta’s own improvement is palpable through this short offseason, finishing the game with a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. While his physicality on offense can be improved upon, watching Neemy alter shots on defense was a beautiful sight to see.
Queta and Ellis have been quite complementary to each other in this California Classic.
Loved this defensive possession from Keegan, Queta, and Keon pic.twitter.com/DT4t8cdVS5
— Kings Film Room (@SacFilmRoom) July 5, 2022
In his second year on Sacramento’s Summer League roster, Stockton King Matt Coleman continued to make an impact off the bench with a team-high 9 points in the first half. He has remained a seasoned and effective body in the Sacramento/Stockton ether, and would not be surprised if he came out of this showcase signed to an NBA senior team.
Sacramento pulled away from Los Angeles in the third quarter, accumulating a double-digit lead behind strong shooting behind the arc from Ellis and Murray.
Murray finished the contest with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Managing the ‘it’s just Summer League’ expectations aside, he was a joy to watch in the second half as the Kingdom continues to see flashes of what the No. 4 overall pick can do when he’s locked in.
The Summer Kings will now travel to Las Vegas as they try to repeat their championship run from the Summer League of 2022 on July 7.