Kings coach Doug Christie's team squared off against a game Lakers squad in the preseason opener that had Luka Doncic torching the nets from the opening stanza and rookie Darius Acuff Jr. feeling frustrated. The Kings rookie and former Arkansas star Acuff Jr. had a promising debut with 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting but also turned the ball over five times before pointing the finger at defense after the game.

“I don't think offense is the problem, I think defensively we just wasn't racking ups tops as a team as much as we needed to…I think offensively (we) will be fine,” Acuff Jr. said.

The Lakers shot an even 50 percent from the field as Doncic led the way with 21 points including three three-pointers in limited action. The Lakers' crisp ball movement impressed coach JJ Redick and made the Kings' defense look foolish as Acuff Jr. and his teammates attempted in vain to slow Los Angeles' attack all night.

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Nique Clifford led the Kings in scoring with 23 points on the night giving coach Christie's team a lot to think about heading into their second preseason contest on October 8 at Crypto.com in Los Angeles. Former UConn star, national champion and rookie Alex Karaban also made his debut with three points and three rebounds.

The Kings have a lot of lineup shuffling to do with rumors swirling about a possible Domantas Sabonis trade. Christie is still a relative neophyte in the coaching ranks with a 49-84 record to his name but he knows how to win from his days with Rick Adelman, Chris Webber and Vlade Divac in Sac-Town. Acuff Jr. sounds like a leader in the making, soon it will be time for him to test his mettle again against Doncic and the Lakers.