Darius Acuff Jr. names Luka Doncic his toughest defensive matchup
Doncic scored 40 points in the Lakers’ 116-103 victory over Sacramento on Nov. 4, while Acuff finished with 22 points and 12 assists.
Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. identified the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic as the most difficult opponent he has guarded in his first NBA season, discussing their Nov. 4 meeting during an appearance on the “Road Trippin’ Show.”
Acuff said the scoring figures on Doncic’s scouting report underscored the difficulty of the assignment. He recalled Doncic scoring 40 points against Sacramento and said confidence alone did not make defending him easy. NBA Courtside shared a clip of the comments on X.
In the Lakers’ 116-103 win at Golden 1 Center, Doncic added nine rebounds and seven assists to his 40 points. He went 11-of-23 on field goals, hit six of 13 attempts from three-point range and made 12 of 13 foul shots. Acuff recorded 22 points and 12 assists, making eight field goals on 24 attempts.
Through 11 games, Acuff has averaged 26.2 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds. Doncic’s averages over 11 appearances stand at 38.6 points, 7.6 assists and 7.5 rebounds. Sacramento drafted Acuff seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft after he earned SEC Player of the Year honors during his freshman season at Arkansas.
