Kings defense offers little resistance in 130-103 loss to Spurs

The Sacramento Kings defense didn't put up a fight in San Antonio, as they fell to 0-4 with a blowout loss to the Spurs.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Oct 27, 2026, 7:39 PM

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SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 27: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket again...

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings in the first half at Frost Bank Center on October 27, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings’ defense looked embarrassing against the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night. Victor Wembanyama was a problem, as usual, but sharpshooter Julian Champagnie made 8/10 from three in the first half as the Kings trailed 80-54 at the break.

Sacramento couldn’t recover, and a quiet second half from both sides did nothing to make the game competitive.

Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 blocks. Champagnie finished with 26 points, contributing 8/13 of his team’s 17/37 three-point shooting. They were two of seven Spurs to surpass double digits.

For the Kings, Hunter’s 24 points (5/9 3P) led the way, while Acuff (19 points) and LaVine (22 points) added scoring of their own. Sabonis ended the night 20 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.

Sacramento Kings @ San Antonio Spurs Game Notes

San Antonio started with a lob from De’Aaron Fox to Wembanyama, setting the tone for what became commonplace in the opening quarter. Acuff and Sabonis were Sacramento’s offensive hub, as usual, but De’Andre Hunter was confident letting it fly from beyond the arc and hit a pair.

Getting things started ‼️

📺 @_daznus https://t.co/YvjBkkdB4R

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 28, 2026

But the Spurs weren’t even slightly concerned about Precious Achiuwa or Jonathan Mogbo shooting, and they didn’t bother to close out on either. Pace seemed to be a priority for both sides, especially for the Kings, who looked for chances to score without Wembanyama back protecting the rim.

A 7-0 run from the Kings gave them an 11-10 lead, but the home team responded immediately. Transition wasn’t a strong suit for the Kings, and they allowed a few too many open-court threes between more lobs to Wembanyama.

The lack of spacing hurt, as Mogbo missed a pair from deep with no defender anywhere near him. Christie gave first-round rookie Alex Karaban his first non-garbage-time minutes over Mogbo, presumably to get him shooting.

Trailing 39-29 at the end of the first, Wembanyama led all scorers with 15 points on 7/10 shooting. The second quarter was the Champagnie show, and Sacramento’s defense made it easy for him.

Prioritizing rim protection, they kept left the best shooter on the floor open from deep. Champagnie was 2/3 from three after the first, and a moment later he made three more without missing. After the ball swung his way, the Kings’ defense did little to slow him down.

By the time they did, he was already hot and converted (semi)contested looks. Five made triples quickly turned into six, seven, and then eight. Champagne went into halftime 8/10 from beyond the arc, while Fox (2/2) and Devin Vassell (3/4) also converted from deep, for a team total of 13/22 at the break.

Ties his own franchise record for most threes made in a half 🎯 https://t.co/SKMB4QFz9M

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 28, 2026

Opponents have scored 40+ points in a quarter every game this season, giving San Antonio an 80-54 advantage. Sacramento’s (offensive) bright spots were Sabonis’s 16 points on 8/11 shooting as he was creative with pump fakes to finish with Wembanyama in the vicinity. Acuff had managed 13 points and three assists on 5/12 shooting.

Wembanyama (23 points, 9 rebounds) and Champagnie (24 points) combined for 47 points, nearly outscoring the Kings themselves. Sacramento never recovered from there.

LaVine got his own scoring rolling early in the third, but a slow offensive quarter from both teams did nothing to cut into the deficit. Hunter maintained his steady three-point shooting, converting 2/3 from deep in the third, but their team defense remained lackluster.

De’Andre Hunter is feeling it from deep 💦 https://t.co/9SoFZKsd5C

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 28, 2026

San Antonio reached triple digits with more than three minutes to play in the third quarter. Inefficient, unideal shot selection didn’t help, and it never felt like a real chance for them to recover.

Trailing 107-80 with 12 minutes left, it was more of the same. With five minutes left, both benches had cleared, and Sacramento’s lineup featured Nique Clifford, Emanuel Sharp, Leaky Black, Alex Karaban, and Jonathan Mogbo.

Meanwhile, San Antonio rolled out Jordan McLaughlin, Carter Bryant, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, and Tarris Reed Jr.

Wembanyama led all scorers with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 blocks. Champagnie finished with 26 points on 8/13 from the three-point line after starting 8/10 first halves. They were two of seven Spurs to surpass double digits.

For the Kings, Hunter’s 24 points (5/9 3P) led the way, while Acuff (19 points) and LaVine (22 points) added scoring of their own. Sabonis ended the night 20 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.