The Sacramento Kings are one of two NBA teams to have won the Las Vegas Summer League title two teams. Is this summer shaping up to be their third?
Through three games, the Summer League Kings continue to look like a team that could go all the way, with Monday’s 94-76 win over the Phoenix Suns at Cox Pavilion acting as the latest signal that an appearance in the playoff round this weekend is on the table.
Sacramento (3-0) is currently in second place in the Summer League standings due to its +12.5 points differential and average of 95.7 points per game–tie-breakers over teams beneath them in the standings.
A win on Wednesday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers would all but ensure an appearance in the single-elimination playoff round, which includes the top four teams in the standings. Play would begin on Saturday, with the championship to take place on Sunday.
Still, it’s one game at a time for this group, and the Kings had their strongest showing yet against Phoenix.
Nique Clifford with the fadeaway jumper pic.twitter.com/8mwXStGVAw
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 15, 2025
Summer League recap & takeaways
Nique Clifford’s start to Summer League wasn’t ideal as the 24th overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft opened up the first half of last Thursday’s opener by missing all four of his field goal attempts.
Since Clifford’s halftime chat with head coach Dipesh Mistry, he’s been locked in and playing with confidence over the past 2.5 games.
Clifford finished the opener by scoring 16 points during the second half (11 in the fourth quarter), then posted a do-it-all statline of 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and one steal against Chicago on Saturday.
In game three, the 6’5 wing continued to showcase his offensive skillset by knocking down fall-away jumpers, attacking in transition, and converting from beyond the arc. Clifford set the tone by scoring 15 of his game-high 19 points during the first half as the Kings jumped out to a 17-point lead at the break.
Here’s Nique Clifford’s playmaking in action again
Just a smooth one handed shovel pass to an open teammate in the dunker spot as he draws the defense with his rim pressurepic.twitter.com/nkYO26CVeS https://t.co/pe4c1HwyAZ
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) July 15, 2025
Due to Sacramento taking control of the game and leading by as many as 35 points, Clifford only logged nine minutes during the second half, but finished the night with another strong line of 19 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals on seven-of-eight shooting from the field (three-of-three from long distance) over 24 minutes.
Clifford is turning heads with his versatile play, able to line up on the defensive end against positions one through three while also scoring in the mid-range, on the break, and from the perimeter.
Through three games, the Colorado State product holds averages of 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals on 60/70/66 shooting splits, putting him in contention for the NBA’s All-Summer League team.
Following a standout bounce-back performance on Saturday night, second-year guard Devin Carter had another strong showing on Monday.
Carter, who scored 30 points in his previous showing, added 17 points on seven-of-12 shooting (three-of-five from downtown) to go along with three steals and one block over just 21 minutes.
Isaac Jones added 11 points and eight rebounds while filling in at the starting center spot for rookie big Maxime Raynaud, who sat out due to wrist soreness.
A win from Sacramento on Wednesday likely puts the Kings in the playoff round of Summer League.
Top 4 teams advance to a single-elimination tourney on Saturday and Sunday. pic.twitter.com/imRwRXV2aw
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) July 15, 2025
When is the next Summer League game for the Kings?
Sacramento will be back in action on Wednesday, July 16th vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, with action set to tip off at 12:30 pm PT from the Thomas & Mack Center (broadcast on ESPN2).
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
With five years of NBA experience in the books since going undrafted in 2020, Mason Jones (26) is the second-oldest player on the Sacramento Kings’ 2025 Las Vegas Summer League roster.
It’s his fourth Summer League appearance and second with Sacramento. Jones was on a two-way contract last season, where he helped lead the Stockton Kings to a G-League Championship, earning Finals MVP honors in the process.
Through 27 games with Stockton, Jones averaged 23.6 points, 7.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds on 49/44/79 shooting splits.
But the 6’4 guard only had four instances where he logged at least five minutes for the main club in Sacramento.
Coming into this offseason without a deal in place — Dylan Cardwell and Isaiah Stevens are their only current two-way deals — it was unclear whether Jones would be wearing royal purple in Vegas.
“When Scott (Perry) asked me to play, it was just a no-brainer,” Jones said after Saturday’s shootaround. With a new general manager in place, he’s aiming to leave a good impression and earn a deal.
“I love [Sacramento],” he continued. “That’s why I’m doing Summer League here because I want to continue to showcase what I can do to everybody else, but also to Scott.”
Last offseason, he showed up to the California Classic having lost a significant amount of weight and it paid off.
This time around, Jones is continuing to focus on improving his defense (on and off-ball) while remaining an efficient, versatile offensive threat.
Read more below:
Free agent Mason Jones hopes to remain with Kings: ‘I love Sac’
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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