Oct 8, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) shakes hands with guard Nique Clifford (5) during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
It was a quiet, dreary night in Sacramento during Wednesday night’s preseason opener until the 4th quarter ushered in rookie Nique Clifford and much of the Kings’ Summer League squad. While the youngsters couldn’t bring Sacramento back—the visiting Toronto Raptors won 130-122—it says something that it took until the 3rd stringers to bring Golden 1 Center to life or for Sacramento to find any consistency on the offensive end.
That electric 4th quarter, where the Kings outscored the Raptors’ fellow-3rd stringers 44-33, was led by Clifford. The Kings were down 97-79 to start the 4th quarter as Clifford and fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud took to the floor and finished the game with Devin Carter, Dylan Cardwell, and Isaiah Stevens. Clifford had all 10 of his points and 7 of his 9 assists in that 4th quarter, including some nice assists to Cardwell for dunks.
Here’s a reel of Nique’s highlights.
Nique’s 9 assists equaled the amount of assists that the Kings starters, plus Malik Monk and Keon Ellis, had COMBINED in their roughly 140 minutes on the court. That line should both praise Clifford’s playmaking ability and be a sign of just how worrying the offense looked in the hands of the Kings core.
Cardwell finished with 12 points and 3 boards on 6 of 7 shooting, and paired fantastically as a play finisher with Nique. While Raynaud couldn’t get his deep shot going, he finished with 7 points, 6 boards, and 2 steals, and showed some physicality that most other Kings didn’t bring to the contest. And props to both Carter and Stevens, who were the 6th and 7th guards off the bench for Sacramento but also played with more pace than the starters did.
Where the starters looked like dudes who still had to figure out how to play together, it was the youngsters—who’d played together in a Summer League title game months earlier—who looked cohesive and composed. Here’s hoping the fire that Clifford, Cardwell, and Raynaud ended the game with ignites the veterans with more purpose and composure in Friday’s preseason game in Portland.