The Kings continued their winning ways by dismantling the Spurs last Tuesday on the road at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. It’s a quick turnaround for these two squads as they meet again two days later in the same venue.
In the King’s 132-115 victory over the Spurs, De’Aaron Fox and Richaun Holmes led the way. Fox had 24 points to pace the Kings, while Holmes had a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds, giving trouble to the Spurs frontcourt the entire game.
Fox, the newly minted NBA Player of the Week, has been on a tear this whole March, and is looking to close out the month on a high note. In 13 games, he normed 30.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. More importantly, he has kept the Kings within striking distance of the Play-In Tournament. Sacramento is currently in 11th place in the West, one game behind the Golden State Warriors for the 10th seed. Not only will a repeat win against the Spurs boost the team’s chances, it will also take the 8th-seeded Spurs down a peg.
The Spurs have had a rough stretch as of late, particularly on this nine-game homestand. They’ve lost four of the last five games, wasting golden opportunities to rise up and avoid falling into the 7th-10th place range. The Spurs wasted a fine game from Dejounte Murray, who tallied 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the loss to the Kings.
It was the Spurs’ defense that faltered against Sacramento. The normally stout defense of coach Gregg Popovich’s troops gave up 56 percent shooting to the Kings, who made 18 triples on 36 attempts. For the Spurs to find a way to slow down the Kings, they will need to prevent Fox, Buddy Hield (20 points), and rookie Tyrese Haliburton from firing away from the perimeter.
After the Kings-Spurs battle, don’t miss a cross-conference showdown as the struggling Chicago Bulls take on the Phoenix Suns beginning 10:00 AM live on NBA TV Philippines.
The Bulls are floundering, yet unable to pick up a win despite the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic. The Suns, on the other hand, continue to get the job done. Winners of three straight games, they are solidifying their hold on the second seed in the West.
