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Acuff Drops 34 & 13 in Loss 😱
Sacramento Kings v New Orleans Pelicans
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Darius Acuff Jr. Joins Rare Lists in NBA History Alongside Jordan, Wilt with Wild Box Score Stats

Zach BacharOct 29, 2026

Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. made history with his performance during the team's 132-120 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.

Acuff finished with 34 points, 14 assists, six rebounds and one steal while shooting 13-of-26 from the field and 3-of-11 from three-point territory.

The point guard 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 game.

Acuff also joined the list of just nine players, including Wilt Chamberlain, to rack up multiple 30-point games within the first five appearances of his career.

Young, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas are the only other players in NBA history with a 30-point, 10-assist performance within their first five games played as well.

Acuff displayed his pull-up shooting potential as well as his athleticism against New Orleans, throwing down a one-handed dunk in transition during the first quarter.

While it's important not to put too much stock into the plus-minus of a single game, it's still worth noting that the Kings outscored the Pelicans by three points in Acuff's 41 minutes on the floor despite ultimately suffering a 12-point defeat.

Sacramento fell to 0-5 with the loss, but the play of the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft has been a silver lining this season.

Acuff is now recording 24.0 points and 6.6 assists per game, with both averages representing the highest marks among all rookies. He's connected on 47.3 percent of his two-point field goal attempts despite struggling from behind the arc, hitting a mere 22.2 percent of his triples.

Acuff will look to help the Kings win their first game of the season as they travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.