Kings’ Darius Acuff limps off court vs. Warriors

The Sacramento Kings hit the road to battle the Golden State Warriors in the Bay Area, their third preseason game of the year, amid news of owner Vivek Ranadive’s recent criticisms. The night became one of injuries as center Maxime Raynaud suffered a worrisome right knee injury.

ESPN NBA insider Marc J. Spears added another piece of bad news to the ticker as he updated the status of promising young rookie Darius Acuff during the game.

“Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff is limping and went to the bench,” Spears wrote.

The injury scare obscured a strong first half for the ex-Arkansas star and 2026 NBA Draft pick as he recorded 16 points, five assists and three made three-pointers. He added to those totals, putting up huge stats including 25 points, eight assists, four rebounds and shooting 8-of-15 in 27 minutes.

Acuff’s offense made headlines, but the Kings’ defense should be its calling card this season according to former shooting guard and current head coach Doug Christie. The defense failed Christie’s team against the Warriors as they gave up over 100 points in what became a close game late.

Acuff’s health status continued to remain in the minds of fans as the Kings battled the Warriors late in the fourth quarter. Zach LaVine and Maxime Raynaud were the only other two Kings players in double figures as the game wore on, while controversial forward Ben Simmons had seven points as the game reached its conclusion.

Acuff looks like a star, and Christie knows it as well as anyone. His performance against the Warriors, despite the injury setback, was enough to give fans hope for the 2026-2027 season as the game continued toward its finish.