It came down to the last shot, but Manu Ginobili’s three-point attempt bounced off the rim, and just like that, the Kings 11 game home losing streak against the San Antonio Spurs was finally snapped.
This was the game the Kings needed, the game that showed the NBA world that the Kings are for real. OK, so maybe the Kings need a few more wins over teams like the Spurs to prove that this team is back, but the Kings took a step forward to their goal of respectability tonight.
This win would not had been possible without the dominate play of DeMarcus Cousins (25 points, 10 rebounds), who outplayed Tim Duncan and Aron Baynes. Baynes and Duncan were no match for the younger Cousins, and he displayed the power and maturity that could carry him to an All-Star berth this season.
Sir Charles In Charge
Another matchup that worked in the Kings favor tonight was Darren Collison (19 points, five assists), who put the clamps on Tony Parker, which threw the Spurs offense out of whack. But even with their offense not in sync, the Spurs were still threating to steal the game, but then a miracle happened — the Kings remembered how to close out a game.
The Kings are now 1-0 on their three-game homestand, which doesn’t get any easier as Anthony Davis and the up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans visits Natomas on Monday. But after knocking off the defending champions, the Pelicans game doesn’t seem too daunting now for the Kings.
Other Observations: The Kings finally got down and dirty and played some defense against the Spurs. The Kings held the Spurs to just 42 percent shooting, and even more remarkable, the Kings held in check San Antonio’s dangerous three-point shooting, holding them to just 29 percent from behind the arc. The Kings are going to need a similar defensive performance against the high-octane Pelicans on Monday.