Preview: Kings seek back-to-back sweep vs. Wemby, Spurs

The Sacramento Kings are flying high on the heels of a thrilling overtime win in Phoeinx, but a tall test (literally) will be in front of them on Monday night when they take the floor in San Antonio.

Sacramento (6-4) delivered in crunch time on Sunday, thanks to the impressive closing efforts from DeMar DeRozan (24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime) and De’Aaron Fox (eight points in overtime) as the Kings bounced back from an ugly loss against the Los Angeles Clippers with a win over the 8-1 Suns.

San Antonio (4-6) enters play on Monday having lost three of its past four games, but star big Victor Wembanyama is fresh off of the breakout performance he was looking for. After struggling for the first few weeks of the season, the former number-one draft pick scored 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked seven shots during a one-point loss in Utah on Saturday.

Last season, the seven-footer averaged 23.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game over two appearances vs. Sacramento (both losses).

The Kings have won their past four games on the Spurs’ home floor. Can they make it five in a row tonight?

DeMar DeRozan was ELECTRIC to close out the @SacramentoKings win:

⚡️ 16 PTS in 4Q (6-7 FGM)
⚡️ 8 PTS in OT (3-3 FGM)
⚡️ 34 PTS for the game (14-25 FGM) pic.twitter.com/6zKOHEr5YE

— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2024

Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs Info

When: 5:00 PM PT

Where: Frost Bank Center  – San Antonio, TX

TV: NBC Sports California, NBA League Pass (for out-of-market viewers)

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Coverage starts at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys

Line: Kings -1.5, O/U 221.5

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Spurs coverage, beginning at 2:00 PM PST on The Drive Guys before a 5:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown San Antonio.

Little Bit of Help Here?

An already thin Sacramento rotation will be tested even more on Monday night.

After exiting Sunday night’s game, Malik Monk is undergoing tests to determine the severity of a right ankle sprain. Monk has been ruled out for Monday’s matchup against the Spurs, meaning that Kings head coach Mike Brown will have to dig deeper into his bench.

Keon Ellis is the primary candidate for a boost in minutes, while players like Jordan McLaughlin and Doug McDermott could also see a bump in playing time as Brown looks to throw a life raft to a starting unit that is being pushed to the limit from a minutes per game perspective.

As of Monday morning, four members of the Sacramento starting five are included in the NBA’s top-ten leaderboard for minutes per game:

(Basketball Reference)

Hitting The Glass

Domantas Sabonis has continued his All-NBA ways of corralling loose boards (12.9 per game), but he’s gotten some help in that avenue from Keegan Murray.

Murray has been a pleasant surprise on the glass thus far, averaging a career-high 9.0 boards per game through ten contests. The former fourth-overall pick pulled down a career-high-tying 14 rebounds during Sunday’s win in Phoenix, including a tip-in that gave the Kings a one-point lead during the final seconds of regulation.

The Iowa product has also finished six games with 10+ rebounds this season. Last year, Murray had eight games with 10+ boards.

Sacramento’s Sabonis-Murray combo is one of two NBA duos to average 9+ rebounds each this season, joining New York Knicks center Karl Anthony Town (12.3) and forward Josh Hart (9.0).

KEEGAN FOR THE LEAD 😱 pic.twitter.com/XBh0CUIBs5

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 11, 2024

Waiting…

The Kings are still waiting on a breakout performance from three-point range, and a matchup against the Spurs will provide them with another opportunity to find the bottom of the net.

San Antonio has allowed opponents to shoot 37.3 percent from beyond the arc this season (24th in the NBA).

Entering play on Monday, Sacramento is ranked 29th in made three-point field goals per game (10.3), 28th in three-point field goal percentage (30.6%), and 23rd in attempts per game (33.7).

If, by chance, the struggles continue from deep, the Kings can turn its attention toward a Spurs defense that has also struggled to contain the paint this season. Victor Wembanyama will be lurking, but San Antonio has allowed opponents to score 54.7 points per game this season (third-most in the NBA).

For the long haul, a strong performance from three-point land would do wonders for Sacramento, but they may have to stick with its current strength, and that’s attacking the mid-range and paint.

Kings vs. Spurs Injury Report

Sacramento

• Malik Monk – OUT (right ankle sprain)
• Devin Carter – OUT (left shoulder surgery)
• Orlando Robinson – OUT (left MCL sprain)
• Isaiah Crawford – OUT (G-League)

San Antonio

• Malaki Branham – QUESTIONABLE (right ankle sprain)
• Jeremy Sochan – OUT (left thumb surgery)
• Riley Minix – OUT (G-League)
• Tre Jones – OUT (right ankle sprain)
• Harrison Ingram – OUT (G-League)
• David Duke Jr. – OUT (G-League)

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

• Monday, November 11th – @ San Antonio Spurs – 5:00 PM PT
• Wednesday, November 13th – vs. Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
• Friday, November 15th – vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7:00 PM PT
• Saturday, November 16th – vs. Utah Jazz – 7:00 PM PT
• Monday, November 18th  – vs. Atlanta Hawks – 7:00 PM PT

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