Kings yield 142 points to 19-win Spurs team in OT loss

Apr 2, 2023, 7:08 PM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 20: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball up c...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

With a record-setting crowd on hand at Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento Kings needed a win over the lowly San Antonio Spurs on Sunday if they wanted to clinch its first Pacific Division title since 2003.

Instead of celebrating a division championship, the Kings suffered its most disappointing loss of the season as a 19-win Spurs team pulled out a 142-134 win, one that stunned those in attendance as Sacramento’s defense turned in another subpar performance.

“When you score 123 points in regulation, you’re supposed to win,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of his team’s defensive woes during his postgame press conference. “The reality of it is we play soft at home. It’s what it is. It’s factual.”

San Antonio’s 142 points were a season-high for the 14th seed in the Western Conference, as the Kings’ infamous defense allowed the second-most points to an opponent during the loss, only trailing the 175 points that were surrendered during February 24th’s shoot-out in Los Angeles (176-175).

Not even a classic ‘Fourth Quarter Fox’ performance from De’Aaron Fox (16 points in the fourth) could lead Sacramento to a win, as a failed final attempt at the buzzer would be the Kings’ last chance at getting out of this one with a win.

WHO ELSE?! 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/rqxuhZPwTU

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 3, 2023

The Kings struggled to slow down San Antonio’s 25th-ranked offense all night long, but the Fox and the Kings were able to erase an 11-point deficit and tie things up at 123-123 heading into overtime.

Sacramento held a 4-0 record in overtime this season, while the Spurs were 0-5 during extra time, giving the idea that the Kings were five minutes away from hanging another Pacific Division banner in the Golden 1 Center rafters.

Instead of making necessary changes on the defensive end, Sacramento’s defense would get torched by Doug McDermott in overtime (nine points) while the offense fell flat down the stretch. San Antonio shot six-of-seven (85%) from the field and a perfect seven-of-seven from the free-throw line during overtime, while the Kings went three-of-11 (27%) and one-of-six (16%) from deep.

Stops were needed on the defensive end, and they were hard to come by for Sacramento’s defense, especially during the most critical stretch of the game.

It’s becoming more concerning with each passing loss that the Kings are unable to protect its home floor, as another sold-out crowd was let down in a game that Sacramento shouldn’t have had any trouble winning. Opening the night as 18-point favorites, the Kings never led by more than five points against a team that is looking to secure the first-overall pick in June’s NBA Draft.

Losing in front of an incredible crowd is one thing. Making a habit of letting teams walk over you at home is another, and the Sacramento Kings are not looking like a team that can defend its home court with just one week remaining in the regular season.

“The alarm has been going off for a long time. At some point you gotta stop it.” ⏰

– De’Aaron on the Kings’ inconsistent defense pic.twitter.com/haQAlKWPcm

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 3, 2023

De’Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray highlighted the Kings’ failure to hold San Antonio off the glass, as the Spurs pulled down 14 offensive rebounds that resulted in 20 second-chance points.

The three-point line could have been more kind to Sacramento, as players like Kevin Huerter (2/12) and Fox (0/8) struggled to find the bottom of the arc. After finding success in Portland from deep, the Kings finished Sunday’s game having shot 11-of-44 (25%) from beyond the arc, a glaring aspect of the loss.

Between getting beat on the glass and failing to get going from three-point land, Sacramento was outmatched against the Spurs as players like McDermott (season-high 30 points) and Julian Champagnie (career-high 26 points) carved up a weak Kings’ defense.

Recent media attention has been directed as Sacramento as reports have indicated that several teams that are currently in the mix for the sixth seed would like to face the inexperienced third-seed Kings, and Brown said postgame that he can’t blame opposing teams that want to face them.

“If I’m another team, I’m targeting us too,” Brown said. “We’re the only ones that can change that narrative.”

The loss dropped Sacramento to 47-31 on the season and 23-17 at home, versus a Western Conference-best 24-14 road record. Having already secured home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Kings don’t have much time to figure out how to take care of Golden 1 Center, as they will play its final home game of the season on Friday against Golden State.

Bad losses happen, and Sacramento has answered the call each time that it has faced adversity this season. It’s time to see if this team can inject a sense of relief into the fanbase come Friday night and finish the home-portion of the regular season schedule with a win.

Notes & Stats

Kevin Huerter made some history on Sunday:

Kevin Huerter just drilled his 200th triple of the season.

Huerter is just the 4th player in Sacramento Kings franchise history to make 200+ three-point field goals in a single season.

Buddy Hield (3x)
Mitch Richmond (2x)
Peja Stojakovic
Kevin Huerter

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 3, 2023

De’Aaron Fox scored 16 of his 28 points during the fourth quarter, but the All-Star guard went scoreless during the overtime period.

Keegan Murray continued to show flashes during the losing effort, as the rookie scored 18 points on seven-of-nine shooting (two-of-three from three-point range) over 30 minutes.

Domantas Sabonis scored 15 of his 19 points during the third quarter, but the big man uncharacteristically struggled on the glass (eight rebounds) in his first game with less than 10+ rebounds since March 24th. The All-Star big was eight-of-11 from the field, but struggled to get consistent looks in the post.

Terence Davis added 15 points off the bench over 16 minutes of playing time.

Injury Updates

Malik Monk was ruled out before tip-off after feeling what was described as “mild soreness in his lower leg” by a league source. Monk is considered day-to-day, and the injury is not considered serious.

Next Game

The Kings will hit the road for a back-to-back that will begin on Tuesday night in New Orleans against a Pelicans team that is looking to make a jump into the sixth-spot in the Western Conference standings.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Pelicans coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 3:30 PM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 5:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown New Orleans.