Former EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov impresses in Kings debut in preseason loss to Raptors
Sasha Vezenkov had to bide his time on the Sacramento bench until midway through the third quarter, but he quickly made his presence felt when he finally got into the game.
Vezenkov led the Kings in scoring with 12 points in 11 minutes of action in a 112-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors in a preseason opener Sunday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Vezenkov, who signed with Sacramento after winning the EuroLeague MVP award with Olympiacos last season, made 4 of 7 from the field and 2 of 4 from 3-point range. The 28-year-old rookie forward was one of the few bright spots for the Kings, who shot 39.3% while making 10 of 45 (.222) from 3-point range.
Gary Trent Jr. came off the bench to score 22 points for the Raptors. Toronto overcame a sluggish start to shoot 52% while amassing a 48-34 rebounding advantage.
Kings coach Mike Brown went with last season’s regular starting lineup with De’Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter in the backcourt, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray at the forward spots and Domantas Sabonis at center. The Raptors countered with Dennis Schroder, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl.
Barnes posted 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Raptors. Anunoby had 14 points. Barnes and Murray scored 11 points apiece for the Kings.
The Raptors played their first game at Rogers Arena since 2018. The 19,700-seat arena was the home of the Vancouver Grizzlies from 1995-2001, when the team relocated to Memphis.
The Kings got a defensive stop on the opening possession. That led to a dunk by Murray, who beat his man off the dribble and attacked the rim, throwing down a two-handed jam for the first points of the preseason. The Kings jumped out to a 16-9 lead, going 5 of 7 from the field to start the game while holding the Raptors to 3-of-9 shooting.
Malik Monk and Davion Mitchell were the first players off the bench for the Kings followed moments later by Chris Duarte, Trey Lyles and JaVale McGee. It didn’t take long for Monk to find McGee with a pick-and-roll lob for an alley-oop dunk. There was another encouraging sign when Mitchell, who spent much of the summer working on his shot, knocked down his first two 3-point attempts.
The game was tied 35-35 at the end of a high-scoring first quarter. The Kings shot a sizzling 57.1% and made 4 of 10 from 3-point range while holding the Raptors to 43.5% shooting.
The Kings went cold in the second quarter, missing 13 of 14 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Raptors got hot, outscoring Sacramento 34-20 to open up a 69-55 halftime lead.
The Kings finished the half 21 of 49 (.429) from the field and 5 of 24 (.208) from 3-point range. The Raptors made 23 of 41 (.561) from the field and 6 of 15 (.400) from beyond the arc while outrebounding the Kings 26-15. Trent scored 15 points for Toronto in the first half. Anunoby had 12.
The Kings started Mitchell, Monk, Duarte, Lyles and McGee in the second half, choosing to give their regular starters the rest of the night off. Fox finished with two points on 0-of-6 shooting with three rebounds and three assists. Sabonis had seven points on 2-of-6 shooting with six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Toronto continued to build on its lead in the third quarter. The Raptors led 81-57 when Brown went deep into his bench, calling on rookie second-round draft pick Colby Jones, Keon Ellis and Alex Len.
The Kings trailed by 26 when Vezenkov checked in for the first time with 6:16 to play in the third quarter. Vezenkov promptly demonstrated his ability to score in a variety of ways, making a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, two free throws and a layup on a backdoor cut.
Former Folsom High School and Saint Mary’s College star Jordan Ford had eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in seven minutes for Sacramento. Mitchell had eight points, two rebounds and three assists. McGee had seven points and two blocked shots.
