Devin Carter struggled to make shots in his Las Vegas Summer League debut against the Orlando Magic, but he couldn’t miss in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
Carter had 30 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals to help the Kings remain unbeaten with a 109-92 victory over the Bulls on Saturday at Cox Pavilion.
Carter, who came out of Providence as the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, went 10 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. That was a welcome sight for Sacramento after he was held to eight points on 2-of-14 shooting in Thursday’s victory over Orlando.
Nique Clifford, a rookie first-round draft pick from Colorado State, had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Kings (2-0). Clifford went 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Maxime Raynaud, a rookie center from Stanford, had 17 points and five rebounds. Isaiah Crawford came off the bench to score 13 points.
Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 21 points to lead the Bulls (0-2). Maozinha Pereira scored 15 points. Noa Essengue had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Carter missed summer league last year while recovering from shoulder surgery. He sored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting with two 3-pointers over the first 4:33 against Chicago after being held to eight points on 2-of-14 shooting in Thursday’s victory over Orlando. Carter’s second 3-pointer sparked a 17-2 run that put Sacramento up 29-12.
Carter made another 3-pointer to give the Kings a 32-14 lead at the end of the opening period. He finished the first quarter with 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals, going 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 from long distance.
The Bulls came back to cut the deficit to six after outscoring the Kings 19 -7 to start the second quarter. Chicago got within two when Lachlan Olbrich scored on a sensational behind-the-back pass from Yuki Kawamura late in the first half. Sacramento led 56-52 at the halftime break.
Carter had 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting with three rebounds, two assists and three steals in the first half. Clifford and Raynaud took control in the second half.
The Kings led 81-69 at the end of the third quarter. They went up by 15 early in the fourth and never looked back.
The Kings will try to stay undefeated when they face the Phoenix Suns at 7 p.m. Monday.