San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) takes a shot agianst the Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) in the second half at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Sat Feb 21, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
With three of the Sacramento Kings (12-46) starting lineup players out for the season after assorted injuries followed by surgeries the Kings were faced with a daunting task taking on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs (40-16).
The Kings fought throughout three quarters but ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. They played three great quarters but succumbed to San Antonio in the fourth losing their 16th game in a row 139-122.
Wembanyama was electric in the fourth quarter of the game finishing with 28 points and 15 rebounds. The Kings Keegan Murray and DeMar DeRozan each had 20 points in this game.
Game review: Saturday night the Kings took on the power-house San Antonio Spurs. Sacramento depended on the returning Keegan Murray, DeMar DeRozan and veteran Russell Westbrook. Rookie Maxime Raynaud and Precious Achiuwa rounded out the starting lineup in this lop-sided matchup.
Minutes into the first quarter the Spurs took an 11-0 lead prompting a Kings time-out. Sacramento came back onto the court with renewed energy. San Antonio at one time during the quarter had a a 15-point lead threatening to walk away with the quarter but the Kings kept plugging away when they could have folded. As the first 12 minutes of play came to a finish San Antonio had a 4-point lead 35-31.
The second quarter was a mixed bag with the Kings taking as much as a four point lead with numerous ties throughout the quarter. Despite trailing after two quarters Sacramento was making a game out of this contest. The Spurs had a 73-65 lead going into the half. The Kings had made a great come-back after a slow start and they would need more in the second half.
Murray and DeRozan each scored 14 points in the first half of play. Raynaud already had a double double hitting ten points with ten rebounds and the Kings were sure to see more from him in the third quarter.
Monk had the high off the bench with 13 points. The team had seven turnovers in the first half. San Antonio was ruling the paint but the Kings had the edge at the line hitting 14 of 15.
Stephon Castle shot for 13 points in the first half for San Antonio and the Kings were doing a great job containing Wembanyama allowing only 11 points and eight rebounds. Sacramento would have to pull out all the stops in the second half but they had put the Spurs on notice in the first half.
Three minutes into the third quarter the Spurs began to flex their muscle taking a ten-point lead 84-74. Sacramento would need another comeback after a slow start to the second half. With Wembanyama a constant threat under the basket the Kings had their work cut out for them. And fight they did!!
With 6:52 left on the clock in the quarter the Kings had cut the Spurs ten point lead more than in half 85-82. With Sacramento again threatening, San Antonio was forced to take a timeout. The Spurs really turned it on to end the quarter taking a 105-94 lead pushing their advantage out to 11 points going into the fourth quarter.
The Kings were down to their final quarter continuing to hang around stubbornly refusing to fold. A couple of minutes into the fourth quarter the electric Wembanyama got to work, taking care of business and having his way with Sacramento giving his team a 120-103 lead displaying a driving dunk for their largest lead of the game.
With over eight minutes still left in the game there was no stopping San Antonio as they continued to extend their lead. The Kings did cut the Spurs 28 point lead in the fourth to 17 points fighting to the end but losing their 16th game of the season.
The high for the Kings in this game was shared by Murray and DeRozan each shooting for 20 points. Monk had the high off the bench with 19 points, a great effort. Raynaud had a double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Achiuwa chipped in 14 points. A great all-around effort for Sacramento despite losing.
Game notes: The Kings are trapped in a world of hurt right now as things go from bad to worse. When it seems like it couldn’t get anymore dire, well, it does. First the loss of Zach LaVine for the season. He underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right hand right after the All-Star break.
A terrible loss but there is more, so much more. Big man Domantas Sabonis had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and is now out for the season. To make things even worse back-up center rookie Dylan Cardwell will be out for a reported four weeks due to a moderate left ankle sprain suffered during a workout at the team facility.
Then to top it off, the eye injury that newly acquired De’Andre Hunter suffered on February 6th was diagnosed as a retinal detachment. Friday afternoon he had surgery at Kaiser Permanente. While he is expected to make a full recovery he will be sidelined for approximately eight weeks.
Hunter had only appeared in two games as a King before getting injured. The concern that NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had regarding teams purposely tanking games cannot possibily apply to Sacramento. These injuries while reparable could possibly impact all of these players futures in the game and there is no way these guys are in anyway involved in such.
Next up for the Kings will be a road game taking on the Grizzlies in Memphis this Monday. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00PM.
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