Kings Steal the Show on First Night of California Classic

SACRAMENTO -- Night one of the California Classic was a complete success. Forget the score. Forget the sweltering heat outside Golden 1 Center. Forget the large group of players you've never heard of.

In front of a sold-out crowd, the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors tipped off the evening, with the Dubs coming away with the 79-68 win. But neither of these two teams were the main attraction.

Kings fans showed up in force to get their first glimpse at rookie bigs Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles III. The duo didn't disappoint. In fact, at one point, they garnered a standing ovation from the home crowd. 

Bagley put rookie Moretz Wagner on a poster with a left-handed hammer and followed that up with a clean 3-ball from the top of the key. The 6-foot-11 big out of Duke more than held his own in 25 minutes of action, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

In the first quarter, Giles blocked a Lakers 3-point attempt and then snared a hail mary pass from Frank Mason III to score his first basket. He continued to play hawkish defense throughout the night and added 13 points and three rebounds in Sacramento's 98-93 win. 

If Bagley and Giles are the future pairing in the post, they gave fans more enough to whet their appetites. 

De'Aaron Fox pushed the tempo from the guard spot, scoring 23 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. 

Mason started alongside Fox in the backcourt and managed to add 16 points and a team-high nine dimes.

Wagner chipped in 23 points and seven rebounds for Los Angeles. Second-year guard Josh Hart added 23 points and four assists.

The action resumes on Tuesday with another double-header. Miami and Los Angeles open the action starting at 6pm. Sacramento hosts Golden State in the late game. There are a limited number of tickets remaining for Tuesday's action. 

Copyright CSNBY - CSN BAY
Contact Us