Kings Close Preseason Winless, Fall 126-97 to Spurs

The Sacramento Kings finished the preseason 0-5 after a 126-97 loss to San Antonio, shooting just 6/25 from beyond the arc.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Oct 16, 2026, 8:01 PM

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SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 16: De'Aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs goes for a loose bal against ...

De'Aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs goes for a loose bal against Sacramento Kings in the first half of a preseason game at Frost Bank Center on October 16, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings closed the preseason with their fifth straight loss, falling 126-97 to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

Sacramento finally had Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, Ben Simmons, and Domantas Sabonis in the starting lineup, but San Antonio took control early and never let them back. The Spurs led by as much as 37.

LaVine led Sacramento with 20 points, while Simmons finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his second preseason appearance. Sabonis had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Acuff added 13, and Precious Achiuwa scored 13 off the bench.

San Antonio finished with a 61-38 rebounding advantage, including 19 offensive rebounds, and 17 made threes compared to Sacramento’s three.

Sacramento Kings @ San Antonio Spurs Game Notes

The Kings struggled to get much going early on either end with Victor Wembanyama looking dominant. Sabonis tried to be physical with him, but the reigning Defensive Player of the Year blocked a self-lob off the backboard in transition, setting an early tone in the home side’s favor.

OH MAMA, WEMBANYAMA‼️

📺 @DAZN https://t.co/9gz75fAIn9

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 17, 2026

Simmons’ playmaking and downhill threat were apparent early, but they didn’t translate into much success. The Spurs shot 15/26 from the field in the opening quarter, including 6/14 from three, while Sacramento converted just 6/24 in total. Points from three, points in the paint, rebounding, assists, and turnovers all favored the Spurs as well.

Former King De’Aaron Fox scored 10 points in the opening quarter, while Vassell added eight, helping San Antonio build a 42-18 lead by halftime.

LaVine led Sacramento early with eight points while Acuff was just 2/8 from the field and Sabonis struggled with his matchup.

The second quarter was more of the same as the Spurs outscored them 29-19 and pushed their lead to 37 before taking a 71-37 lead into halftime. Fox had 16 points at the break, while Wembanyama added 14 points and nine rebounds.

The rookie had a better second frame, scoring nine points in the period and finishing with a team-high 13 at the midway point.

Sacramento shot just 13/41 from the field in the first half and committed 11 turnovers, which the opposition turned into 22 points.

Coming out of the break, Acuff didn’t re-enter the action while fellow rookie Emaneul Sharp took his place. Things began to click for Sacramento’s offense, but that largely had to do with Wembanyama no longer being on the floor. Luke Kornet replacing him made attacking the rim a viable, simpler option.

As a result, Sacramento had its best offensive stretch of the night with Simmons functioning as the primary point guard without Acuff. The former No. 1 overall pick scored just two points in the first half but still impacted the game.

Simmons scored 12 of his 14 points in the third and added five assists. LaVine scored 12 of his own in the period, while Sabonis added nine. That trio accounted for 33 of Sacramento’s 35 third-quarter points.

We can get used to this Ben and Zach combo 😮‍💨 https://t.co/DSBHmPxYCb

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 17, 2026

But that stretch wasn’t enough to overcome their horrendous start as they still trailed 101-72 headed into the final 12 minutes.

Deeper bench pieces finished out most of the preseason finale. They went even in the final frame but couldn’t overcome the deficit.

Sharp continued to impress defensively, logging five steals in 24 minutes, while Achiuwa made 6/7 shots for 13 points.

A slow start set the tone and proved too much to overcome. The Spurs outrebounded Sacramento 61-38 and brought down 19 offensive rebounds for 21 second-chance points.

Poor three-point shooting was an issue last season, and it held true in preseason as the Kings shot just 6/25 from three.

LaVine led Sacramento with 20 points, while Sabonis added 14. Acuff recorded 13 points on 5/12 shooting in just under 19 minutes. Simmons finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

Six San Antonio players scored in double figures, led by Dylan Harper with 19. Fox finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists against his former team, while Wembanyama had 14 points and eight rebounds.

The 126-97 loss leaves Sacramento 0-5 in the preseason before the games begin to count.