Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter was on the receiving end of some fan criticism following a poor showing in Thursday’s Las Vegas Summer League opener, but the sophomore turned the page on Saturday night.
Carter brushed off a tough debut in style against the Chicago Bulls, leading all scorers with 30 points during a 109-92 win for the Kings at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sacramento (2-0) has jumped out to an impressive start to Summer League and are currently in third place in the league standings with two more scheduled games to go.
HEAT CHECK FOR DEVIN CARTER 🔥
He’s 3-3 from the field for the @SacramentoKings! pic.twitter.com/Lf3m1iwR8S
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 13, 2025
Kings Summer League takeaways & analysis
Devin Carter had an abysmal shooting performance in his Summer League debut on Thursday night, but the 13th overall pick from last year’s NBA Draft didn’t let that keep him down in game number two.
Carter, who went two-of-14 shooting from the field against Orlando–including 0-of-four from long distance–scored eight points while drilling two triples over the first four minutes of action against Chicago. The second-year guard finished the first quarter with 13 points on a perfect four-of-four shooting from the field and three-of-three from deep to help lift the Kings to a double-digit lead.
As was the case against the Magic, Sacramento jumped out to a sizeable lead early thanks to Carter and the rest of the offense’s red-hot shooting from beyond the arc.
The Kings took an 18-point lead into the second behind a seven-for-ten start from three-point land, but the Bulls would battle back in the second by outscoring Sacramento 38-24 to cut the deficit to four points at the break.
Carter’s 21 points led the way for the Kings, but careless defense from Sacramento (14 first-half fouls) created 16 free-throw opportunities for Chicago during the first half (12-for-16).
DEVIN CARTER… SPLASH!
5-5 FGM, 4-4 3PM FOR 16 PTS SO FAR 👀
Kings/Bulls I #NBA2KSummerLeague on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/qdnwHOhqqs
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2025
Maxime Raynaud opened up the second half with a series of buckets to help the Kings create some space between themselves and the Bulls, and the Beam Team continued to capitalize as Sacramento went on to outscore Chicago 25-18 in the third quarter to take a 12-point lead into the fourth.
As was the Raynaud and Clifford took over once again in crunch time, helping pace a 14-7 run to open the final period that put the Kings ahead by 19 points with less than six minutes to go, all but ensuring a 2-0 start to Summer League action in Las Vegas.
Carter was the main takeaway from this one as the second-year guard shook off a poor debut in much-needed fashion.
Sacramento is currently without a legit backup point guard option, and Summer League provides Carter with a crucial opportunity to insert his name into the mix for next year’s rotation.
The 23-year-old finished the night with 30 points on an impressive 10-of-13 shooting from the field and five-of-seven from downtown while also collecting eight rebounds and swiping three steals over 3o minutes.
Along with Carter’s strong bounce-back performance, Kings rookies Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud followed up their own successful debuts with strong contributions in game two.
Buckets in bunches for Devin Carter and Nique Clifford today:
👑 Carter: 30 PTS | 8 REB | 5-7 3PM | 3 STL
👑 Clifford: 19 PTS | 12 REB | 5 AST | 3-4 3PM
What a scoring duo for the @SacramentoKings 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3hJjzra0if
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 13, 2025
Clifford, the 24th overall pick in last month’s draft, showcased his rebounded prowess by collecting a team-high 12 boards to go along with 19 points and five assists. Kings Summer League head coach Dipesh Mistry has referred to the rookie wing as a ‘Swiss Army knife,’ and that’s precisely what Clifford has looked like during his first two showings for Sacramento.
Raynaud added 17 points and five rebounds, shooting seven-of-11 (63%) on attempts in the paint.
The Kings have plenty of talent on this Summer League team, and they’ve put themselves in a position to compete for a spot in next weekend’s championship game. There’s more work to be done in attaining that goal, but Sacramento has several players who can act as gamechangers on this current roster.
When is the next Summer League game for the Kings?
Sacramento will be back in action on Monday, July 14th vs. the Phoenix Suns, with action set to tip off at 7:00 pm PT from Cox Pavilion (broadcast on ESPNU).
What’s next for the Sacramento Kings offseason?
The NBA free agency window is wide open, meaning teams around the league will make signings and trades in the coming weeks and months ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Aside from free agency, the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League is set to begin on Thursday, July 10th, giving Sacramento Kings fans a first look at rookie talents like Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud, as well as second-year guard Devin Carter.
Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports 1140 each weekday from 6 am-6 pm for live analysis and around-the-clock coverage, as well as SactownSports.com for breakdowns for every move
Upcoming offseason schedule for the Sacramento Kings:
July 10th-20th – Las Vegas NBA Summer League
August TBD – Release of 2025-26 regular season schedule
September TBD – Start of NBA training camps for the 2025-26 season
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