Darius Acuff Jr. Makes NBA History With Nine Threes and 38 Points

Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. made NBA history Saturday night even as his team remained winless. Acuff scored 38 points and buried nine three-pointers in Sacramento’s 136-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, tying the NBA single-game rookie record for made threes and becoming the first teenager in league history to hit nine in one game.

Acuff finished 12-of-25 from the field, 9-of-14 from beyond the arc and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line while adding five rebounds and five assists. It was his second consecutive 30-point performance after scoring 34 against New Orleans and his third 30-point game through his first six NBA appearances. At 19 years and 349 days old, he also became the youngest player in Kings franchise history to record back-to-back 30-point games. Sacramento fell to 0-6, while Memphis improved to 6-0 behind 27 points and nine rebounds from Cameron Boozer.

The result was ugly for Sacramento, but Acuff’s emergence is becoming difficult to overlook. The No. 7 pick is now averaging 26.3 points and 6.3 assists through six games. His combination of volume scoring and playmaking gives the Kings a legitimate young building block even while the team searches for its first victory. Saturday’s nine-threes performance turned another Sacramento loss into a historic rookie night.