San Antonio Spurs forward Doug McDermott shoots over Sacramento Kings forward Kessler Edwards (17) during the first quarter at Chase Center in Sacramento on Sun Apr 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

San Antonio Pulls Upset Over Kings 142-134

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Sacramento Kings (47-31) took on the San Antonio Spurs (20-58) at Golden One Center in search of win #48 but failed to get it as the Spurs came away with a 142-134 in an offensive shootout. A win Sunday would have locked down third place in the Western Conference for the Kings.

Sunday the Grizzlies got beat down by the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento is hot on their heels in the standings. There is still more for Sacramento to aim for before they head into the playoffs, one of those taking over second place in the conference.

Game recap: The Kings had some trouble guarding the perimeter to start the game. San Antonio is a team that does not excel in shooting from beyond the arc, but despite that, the Spurs shot six triples in the opening quarter. The Kings had numerous stops in the late minutes of the first quarter but could not connect with baskets of their own.

With 2:30 left in the quarter the Spurs had a 28-19 lead. The Kings looked a little disjointed in the first quarter of this very physical game and trailed after the first 12 minutes 32-30. Sacramento began to turn things around going on an 11-4 run in the closing minutes.

The second quarter was not one of the Kings finest hours. They were struggling with ball protection finishing the first half with 11 turnovers. They were five of 22 from downtown and Domantas Sabonis had to sit with three fouls. The Kings trailed at the half 63-58.

After three quarters the King continued to play catch up trailing 96-92. Every time the Kings made a move, the Spurs had the answer.

The fourth quarter was a tight one with the teams trading the lead. With under four minutes left in the game the King trailed 117-114. Despite some great defense Sacramento continued to trail and with under two minutes left in the game it was a one point game 119-118 in favor of San Antonio.

With 16.5 left on the clock San Antonio stepped out of bounds and the Kings had a golden opportunity to break the 123 tie and ice this game. The Kings were unable to break the tie and this game went into overtime.

The Spurs might have a 19-58 record but they did not play this game like they did. They were excellent on both ends of the court and pulled the upset over the Kings. San Antonio was near perfect in the five minutes with bench player Doug McDermott finishing with 30 points.

Every King starter finished with double digits. De’Aaron Fox had 28 points closely followed by Domantas Sabonis with 26. Off the bench Terence Davis finished with 15 points. These guys have all the markers that could result in a very successful run in the playoffs however there are a few issues that Head Coach Mike Brown will no doubt address heading into the Big Easy.

There is still some work to do for Sacramento and this was a great wake-up call. The Kings did not establish home court advantage and that’s something that they will have to do going forward. Sacramento gave up 142 points in this game, something else to take a look at.

Tuesday night the Kings will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.