San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) guards against Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson (13) Sun Dec 18, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento in the first half of NBA action. (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (13-18) were back in action on Sunday afternoon as they welcomed in the San Antonio Spurs (11-18) to Golden One Center. The Kings, fresh off an awful short-handed loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, were looking to clean up their effort.

However, it would be a tall task for the Kings as they remained understaffed, with the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell still on the COVID list. The Kings managed to pull out the victory in a tough-fought matchup with the Spurs 121-114.

The Kings were off to a good start against the Spurs in the first quarter. The Kings offense was firing on all cylinders. The Kings put up a solid 37 points in the first quarter as the Spurs lack of defense was on full display. On the other hand, the Spurs were only able to score 27 points in the first to dig themselves an early deficit against the Kings.

The Spurs managed to flip the script in the second quarter. The Kings offense cooled, and the defense couldn’t step up. The Spurs scored 29 points in the second quarter as the Kings offense could only add 26 to their total.

Neither team played much defense in the first half as the Kings would go into halftime with a 63-56 lead. Damian Jones led the way in the first half for the Kings putting up a surprising 14 points. Tyrese Haliburton added 12 points in the first half. Lonnie Walker led the Spurs in the first half scoring 16 points.

In the third quarter, it appeared the Kings meltdown woes were coming back to bite them yet again. However, the Kings managed to get the game back under control before it got out of hand. The Spurs outscored the Kings in the third quarter, but it was only by one point, 29-28.

The Kings managed to stop the bleeding and not fall behind their opponent as they did on Friday night. The Kings would need to tighten up the defensive end in the final quarter if they wanted to get out of town with a win.

The Kings managed to do what they needed to win the game 121-114. The Kings received a significant contribution from Buddy Hield in the final quarter as the Kingd managed to outscore the Spurs. The last 12 minutes saw the Kings score 30 points compared with the Spurs 29.

Neither team shined on the defensive end of the floor all night. The Kings allowed at least 27 points in each quarter to the Spurs and scored at least 26 in each quarter themselves. The Kings were led in victory by impressive performances from Buddy Hield (29 points), Tyrese Haliburton (27 points), and Damian Jones (23 points).

The Spurs most significant contributors were Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker, who had 25 and 19 points, respectively. It was an excellent win for the short-handed Kings, who improved to 13-18 on the season. The Spurs fell to 11-18 on the year.

Up Next: The Kings have a quick 15-minute flight over to the Bay Area as they take on the Golden State Warriors on Monday at 7 PM PST at Chase Center.