Deandre Ayton might be the NBA’s next great man in the middle.
The No. 1 pick had a dominant debut Monday night, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Phoenix Suns’ 106-102 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The exhibition opener for both teams featured the top two picks in the most recent draft. Marvin Bagley III of Duke came off the Sacramento bench for seven points in 25 minutes.
Ayton – Bagley’s one-time high school teammate — looks a little more NBA-ready. The former Arizona star leaped high for alley-oop and showed off a nice touch with a hook, finishing 9 for 16 from the floor and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.
Joel Embiid, perhaps the league’s top current big man, matched up Monday with another top-10 center from the draft, Orlando’s Mo Bamba. Embiid kept Philadelphia unbeaten with 21 points in the 76ers’ final game before they head to China for a pair of games against Dallas.
KINGS 106, SUNS 102
Yogi Ferrell had 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and Willie Cauley-Stein added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Sacramento.
Josh Jackson added 17 points and six assists for Phoenix, and TJ Warren scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Ayton missed his final four field-goal attempts and went 2 of 4 from the line with an offensive foul in the final minute.
76ERS 120, MAGIC 114
Joel Embiid had 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Ben Simmons added nine points, five rebounds, seven assist, two steals and a block.
Furkan Korkmaz made 6 of 8 from the field, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc, and finished with 18 points in 18 minutes for the 76ers.
KNICKS 124, WIZARDS 121, OT
Rookie Kevin Knox had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the Knicks’ preseason opener.
The No. 9 pick in the draft started and added three assists and two steals in 26 minutes. Lance Thomas scored 12 points.
John Wall played just 9 ½ minutes of Washington’s exhibition opener, scoring six points. Bradley Beal had 11, but shot just 3 for 12 in 22 minutes. (AP)
