The Sacramento Kings know that every game remaining in the season is important for playoff seeding.
That makes their home matchup against the struggling San Antonio Spurs on Thursday just as important as any game against one of the league’s top teams.
On the contrary, defeating the Spurs is a must. San Antonio rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama will miss the game with a sprained right ankle.
It’s the second in a string of consecutive comebacks for Sacramento, which rallied from being down 19 points in the first quarter to record a 130-120 victory against the Lakers on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
De’Aaron Fox tied a career high with 44 points, Malik Monk scored 26 and Domantas Sabonis added 16 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists.
De’Aaron ready to take off ✈ pic.twitter.com/OucL0QcPpN
– Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 7, 2024
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The Kings are in seventh place in the West, a half-game behind the Phoenix Suns.
“You can’t even think about it, you don’t have time,” Sabonis said after Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. “We just need to lock down.”
Sacramento has won just twice in its last five games and is 5-5 in its last 10 games. Forward Trey Lyles said the Kings must avoid the inconsistent play that has plagued them over the past two weeks if they want to move up in the standings. .
“I want us to be more consistent, I want us to hold each other more accountable and I want us to play up to our abilities,” Lyles said. “We showed it in spurts here and there. We’re still a young team, but I think we know now what we need to do: just hold each other accountable.
The Kings won the first two games against San Antonio in the series, but both were close, with Sacramento winning by an average of seven points.
The Spurs head to the California capital after a 114-101 loss to the Rockets in Houston on Tuesday. Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 22 points, while Malaki Branham scored 20, Keldon Johnson added 18 and Jeremy Sochan scored 15 points. Wembanyama produced 10 points (his lowest offensive output since Dec. 21), 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Spurs ended a two-game winning streak.
San Antonio was within four points of Cedi Osman’s basket with 6:28 left but would get no closer.
“They put us in the dirt, we didn’t respond very well to it and you got the result,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said afterward. “(We are) a young group who must understand that the road is very different from home and that it requires a little more mental strength. We didn’t have it this time. So we’ll move on and try to play better at (Sacramento).
San Antonio has 20 games remaining and will need to win eight of them to avoid tying the team record for fewest wins in a full season. The Spurs set that mark in 1996-97 after a 20-62 campaign.
Thursday’s game in Sacramento is the middle part of a three-game road trip for the Spurs that ends in San Francisco on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors. San Antonio will then play eight straight games as the home team, although two of those contests will be in Austin, Texas.
–Field level media
Kings vs. Spurs injury report
Sacramento
- Will be released at 1:30 p.m. PST (back to back)
San Antonio
- Victor Wembanyama – OUT (sprained right ankle)
- Charles Bassey – OUT (left ACL tear)
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will return home on Thursday to play the second consecutive game against rookie phenomenon Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs (13-49), holder of the worst record in the Western Conference.
On February 22, the Kings survived a late surge from San Antonio to earn a 127-122 victory at Golden 1 Center behind Domantas Sabonis’ triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) and a 28-point effort. points from De ‘Aaron Renard.
Sacramento’s game against the Spurs will mark the start of a six-game homestand, as the Kings will play 14 of their final 22 games on their home turf.
Be sure to tune in here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all your Kings vs Spurs coverage, starting at 5:30 p.m. PST on Game night before an alert at 7:00 p.m. PST from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming calendar
- Thursday March 7 – Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Sunday March 10 – Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets – 3:00 p.m. PST
- Tuesday 12 March – Sacramento Kings vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Wednesday March 13 – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Saturday March 16 – Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks – 7:00 p.m. PST
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