Photo credit: D. Clarke Evans

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Rudy Gay missed a baseline jump shot with seconds left to play in the game and the Kings lost to the Spurs 95-93 on Saturday night in San Antonio.

Both teams came into the contest looking to stop losing streaks that had been caused by injuries to key players. The Spurs had lost three in a row while the Kings were 0-6 since DeMarcus Cousins went down with a sprained ankle.

The Kings had played well enough to win in four of those six games, but lack of defense came back to haunt Sacramento as potential wins turned into losses. On Saturday night, the defense showed up but the offense came up lacking for the Kings.

The Kings held the Spurs to just 52 points in the first half. Then, Sacramento allowed San Antonio to score just 19 points in the third quarter and only 24 points in the final quarter. The Kings allowed only 95 points to a team that averages 104 points per game.

The big problem for the Kings was the Spurs defense. San Antonio allowed the Kings to score just 93 points which is minus 8.9 points below their season average of 101.9 per game. The Kings were able to score just 15 points in the fourth quarter.

The most glaring stat of the game can be found in bench points. The Kings bench managed to score just 25 points while the Spurs’ reserves poured in 48 points coming off the bench.

Isaiah Thomas led all scorers in the game with 26 points and five assists. Rudy Gay posted 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the game. Gay and Thomas both had outstanding games.

The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan with 23 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. Tony Parker returned to the San Antonio lineup and hit for 18 points and 10 assists. Second unit players Patty Mills scored 15 points while Boris Diaw added 14.

The loss dropped the Kings record to 15 wins and 32 losses. San Antonio improved to 34-13 on the season.

DeMarcus Cousins did dress for the game but did not play. The Kings are 0-7 without Cousins in the lineup.

The Kings flew home after the game and will begin a short two game home-stand. The Chicago Bulls will come to call on the Kings on Monday night followed by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.