Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Kings fall in San Antonio 95-93

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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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.

Turnovers doom Warriors, fall to Spurs 104-102

Published on by gabeschapiroLeave a comment

By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (14-13) fell just short against the savvy San Antonio Spurs (21-5), 104-102, Thursday night, at Oracle Arena. San Antonio was without their big-three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli, but still made it work. Golden State got some strong performances, but as a unit played poorly, and ultimately couldn’t overcome their own mistakes. On the night they turned it over a whopping 24 points, which the Spurs converted for 31 points. A familiar face, former Warrior Marco Belinelli, led San Antonio with 28 points off the bench.

The night didn’t start off so poorly. After the first quarter the Warriors held a 23-18 lead. They weren’t playing great, but they were getting it done. From there, however,  the miscues started to snowball.

San Antonio came back with a great second quarter, at one point going on a 19-4 run to steal back the lead. They had grabbed the momentum and rode it through to the end of the game. Heading into halftime they had comeback to take a two-point lead.

The Spurs extended their lead to eight-points heading into the final frame. The Warriors started scratching their way back into the game, and it looked like they were setting up for another classic late-game comeback. With 28 seconds remaining Stephen Curry sunk a huge three-pointer to tie the game up at 102-102. San Antonio ended the comeback hopes with a sloppy but successful last possession, which ended with a Tiago Splitter rebound and put-back to take the two-point lead. The 104-102 score would stick, as a Curry 32-foot heave with less than two seconds left was no where close to hitting.

Curry would finish with his 12th consecutive 20+ point effort, contributing a double-double with 30 points and 15 assists. On a more negative note he also did have five turnovers.

David Lee was great on the offensive end, posting a game-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.

Andrew Bogut was very strong down low. He scored eight points, hauled in 18 rebounds, and blocked three shots.

For the Spurs Kawhi Leonard finished with a double-double, 20 points and 11 rebounds. Patty Mills also had a strong game, with 21 points, five rebounds, and three steals.