Summer League California Classic: Bucks 89 Kings 95

Breakdown Game 3 of the California Classic

by Aiden Fermaner

10/07/26

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The Bucks lose to Darius Acuff and his Kings in this game. A very exciting game with plenty to unpack despite the loss. Malique Lewis and Bogoljub Markovic stuffed the stat sheet. Zack Austin took another step once again with a new addition, Kam Jones, elevated in limited minutes and finally we get our first look at our number 10 pick in this years draft Brayden Burries who matched up with Darius Acuff.

First Quarter

Brayden Burries looked decent to start and had to seriously battle through contact to start this game, and looked good as the point of attack defender on Darius Acuff, despite his strong start. Kam Jones was elite this quarter, scoring 8 points on 3/5 shooting in just under 4 minutes! The Bucks go down 22-28 in a strong first quarter from both teams.

Second Quarter

Brayden Burries gets off to a good start, crashing the boards and hitting a side-step contested three. He looked good defensively again and looked like he wanted the Darius Acuff matchup, which is a welcome sight to see. He also gets a good go-ahead layup on the fastbreak, which is a strong point for him. Kam Jones had 4 points in the quarter, and even on his misses, I find the way he moves very intriguing. He is very smooth and has full confidence in his ball usage. We lost another close quarter, 26-28.

Third Quarter

The third quarter presented us with a Bogoljub Markovic masterclass. He starts the quarter with a quick block, a drive and a dime to Malique Lewis for a knock-down three and transitions back on defence for a steal. I really love what I see from Markovic; he has great basketball IQ, which I'm sure is a big part of his recent ABA MVP accolade. He has good hands and an understanding of the game and how he can get to his spots. I believe that if he can add some more athleticism over the next few years, he could be a real problem for teams. I see some moments of Alperen Sengun when Markovic gets to his spots, and the game is on his terms. Brayden Burries had a slower quarter, but his ability to draw fouls and get to the stripe looks good and will be a good asset as he learns the NBA, and he can cash in on some easy buckets. Who would've thought, Zack Austin ferocious alley oop slam from a Brandon Boston assist. Boston struggled so far through the game and didn't look his usual smooth and in-control self. The Bucks trail by 8 entering the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Bogoljub Markovic starts well with some great post work for 4 quick points, and he finishes the quarter with 3 assists and 4 rebounds to go along with them. Zack Austin slams a nice, easy dunk by his standards to start his blistering quarter, then he cashes in from three shortly after. Not much later, he hits another three, really showcasing another part of his game that hopefully can be a consistent product to pair with his elite athleticism. Austin rounds off a free throw for 12 points in this fourth quarter. Time will tell, but with what he is showing through the last 2 games, I'm bullish on seeing him with the Bucks, but I can at least see him getting a spot on an NBA roster for this next season. The Kings went on to close out this close game 95-89, a tough loss, but plenty of good signs from the Bucks.

MVP

Zack Austin and Bogoljub Markovic were both elite in this game and really showed a lot, but Bogoljub Markovic just willed himself forward and was an issue for the Kings defensively at times and offensively despite their great interior defence, so this MVP goes to Bogoljub Markovic. Both players had great showings and lifted their stocks drastically.