The Sacramento Kings fell to the Golden State Warriors 111-106 Saturday. There were several noteworthy developments in the game, including Ben Simmons making his season debut, Keegan Murray’s debut, a solid performance from Darius Acuff Jr., and a concerning injury to Maxime Raynaud.
Raynaud injury and update from the Kings
In the second quarter, Maxime Raynaud went to the floor after a screen and came down holding his knee in a lot of pain. They had to bring a wheelchair out to get him on the floor and after the game he was seen on crutches. It did not look good.
On Sunday, the Kings sent out a medical update:
“Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud, who exited Saturday night’s preseason game against the Golden State Warriors with 2:32 remaining in the second quarter, underwent an MRI of his right knee. Imaging revealed a right patellar subluxation. Raynaud will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks and further updates will be provided as appropriate.”
This sounds like good news considering how bad the injury looked. The fact there are no major tears or surgery being reported is promising.
Ben Simmons returns
After sitting out the entire season last year, Simmons made his return with Saturday. Though he only played nine minutes, he looked spry in the open court made quick decisions, had some impressive passes, including a no-look bounce pass for a bucket. He also showed some aggressiveness on offense, converting a turnaround hook shot, and knocking down a step-back jumper from 12 feet. He also earned two trips to the free throw line. He finished with 7 points and an assist in 9 minutes.
Defensively, he forced Steph Curry into a missed shot on a nice defensive possession.
“We want to defend, rebound and run the floor and share the basketball. He does all those things,” Doug Christie said following the game.
Keegan Murray explains preseason absence
Keegan Murray was curiously missing from the first two preseason games. He revealed after the game he was related to his ankle. Murray had ankle surgery at the end of last season.
“Everything is ankle related. I had a little setback in training camp. That’s why I didn’t play the first two and I’m just trying to get ready for the regular season,” Murray explained.
Keegan played 8 minutes and finished with 5 points on 2-3 from the field.
Darius Acuff Jr. shines
Acuff had an outstanding, and efficient, performance. He finished with 25 points on 53% from the field, 66% from three, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He also added 8 assists and 4 rebounds in 27 minutes.
Acuff just looks extremely comfortable at this level, and it is quite promising.
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