Forward Domantas Sabonis (10) takes off down the floor after scoring against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Mar 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Thursday night. The Kings were coming off the first night of a back-to-back that saw them make a stop in Los Angeles. The Kings were in LA on Wednesday night to take on the Lakers.

The Kings went down early to the Lakers but ultimately came out with the win 130-120. On Thursday night, the Kings returned home for the second night of the back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were coming off a loss to the Rockets on Tuesday, 114-101.

On Thursday, the tip-off was set for 7 PM PST inside Golden One Center. The Kings beat the Spurs 131-129 on Thursday night.

Game recap: In the first quarter, the Kings came as expected on the second night of a back-to-back. The Kings came out sluggish in the first quarter. The Spurs would outscore the Kings 31-30 in the first quarter to a slim early lead.

De’Aaron Fox was largely silent for the Kings in the quarter, scoring no points. Domantas Sabonis and Harrison Barnes led the way for the Kings in the first quarter with six points each. Devin Vassell led the Spurs with eight points.

In the second quarter, the Kings took off. Similarly to the previous game against the Lakers, the Kings had a sub-par first quarter and took command in the second.

The Kings outscored the Spurs in the second quarter 41-28. In the first half, the Kings were led by Sabonis, who scored 17 points. He was well on his way to another triple-double if he kept it up. Vessell led the way for the Spurs in the first half with 14 points.

The Kings let the Spurs back into the game in the third quarter. In the tale of two quarters, the Kings melted down in the fourth. The Spurs outscored the Kings 36-29 in the third to come to within five points of the lead.

The Kings would lead 100-95 going into the final quarter of action. Could the Kings maintain the lead and hold off the young Spurs without Wemby?

In the fourth quarter, the Kings and Spurs found themselves in a dogfight! The Spurs were up late in the quarter as Fox fouled out. The Kings and Spurs would go back to back until Sabonis got a steal and a dunk to put the Kings up 131-129 with 7.7 seconds in the game. That bucket would seal the deal.

The Spurs missed two shots in the final possession to lose the game 131-129. The Kings were outscored by the Spurs in the final quarter 34-31, but it was to no avail. It was a big win for the Kings, even if it came in ugly fashion.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday at 3 PM PST inside Golden One Center