Sacramento Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. Makes NBA History in Loss to Pelicans

Sacramento Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. delivered a historic performance on Thursday night, scoring 34 points and dishing out 14 assists in a 132-120 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Despite the defeat, the 19-year-old's standout night etched his name alongside several NBA legends early in his professional career.

Selected seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Arkansas, Acuff shot 13-of-26 from the field, grabbed six rebounds, recorded one steal, and hit three three-pointers in 41 minutes of action. His stellar evening included a memorable first-half tomahawk dunk in transition over Trey Murphy III, fueling a dominant first two quarters where he scored 21 points and shot eight of his first 11 attempts.

The performance placed Acuff into an exclusive group of players in NBA history. He became just the fourth teenager in league annals to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a single game, joining LeBron James, Stephon Marbury, and Luka Doncic. James achieved the feat three times during his rookie campaign.

Furthermore, Acuff joined Michael Jordan, Trae Young, and Steve Francis as the only rookies to record at least 34 points, 14 assists, six rebounds, and one steal in a single contest. He also joined a short list of nine players, including Wilt Chamberlain, to secure multiple 30-point performances within their first five career appearances.

While Acuff has experienced a slow start from beyond the arc—hitting 22.2 percent of his three-pointers—he leads all rookies this season with averages of 24.0 points and 6.6 assists per game under head coach Doug Christie. Christie, who relies heavily on Acuff to jump-start the team's transition offense, has seen his young guard improve his field-percentage in every game so far.

Despite Acuff's historic numbers and strong contributions from teammates like De'Andre Hunter and Precious Achiuwa—who each scored 24 points—the Kings fell to 0-5 on the young season. Sacramento struggled with ball security throughout the night, committing 25 turnovers that ultimately doomed their comeback efforts.

The victorious Pelicans secured their first win of the season to move to 1-4, led by Jeremiah Fears, who recorded 22 points, a career-high 13 assists, and eight rebounds. Zion Williamson added 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, all from inside the paint, while New Orleans' bench outscored Sacramento's reserves 41-8 under new coach Jamahl Mosley.

The Sacramento Kings will look to capture their first victory of the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Tennessee to face the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum.