Game 56 Recap: Sacramento Kings Fall Short To The Spurs
By Rafe Wong
With the San Antonio Spurs (48-9) in Sleep Train Arena tonight, the Sacramento Kings (24-32) were unable to showcase a statement win on the national stage of ESPN as they lose 108-92.
Notable players tonight for the Kings were DeMarcus Cousins with 22 points and 10 rebounds, Darren Collison with 15 points and 6 assists, and Rajon Rondo with 7 points and 18 assists.
Players that made big contributions for San Antonio were Tony Parker who recorded 23 points and 6 assists, Kawhi Leonard with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals, and Danny Green with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.
In the first quarter, both teams played well, but shots were unable to fall for both squads. Thus, the game was competitive for the first 12 minutes as the Kings only trailed the Spurs 25-24 to end quarter #1.
In the second quarter, the period was owned by the Spurs. Just like in the first, the Spurs remained to play well but this time, shots fell for the team wearing black.
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On the other hand, the Kings offense remained stagnant as the Spurs did a great job in limiting Cousins to score just 1 point after two quarters of play. At the end of the first half, the Spurs lead 49-38.
To start the third quarter things started to turn around for the Kings. All of the sudden Cousins went on a hot spree, and as a result, the Kings were able to decimate the Spurs lead to 6 after the third period trailing 76-70.
The Kings were able to put up a strong third quarter, but it did not translate going into the fourth. With Cousins on the bench to start the final period, the Spurs were able to boost their lead and never look back. Even when Cousins came back into the game the Spurs run was complete, therefore, having a commanding lead for the rest of the game.
Overall, the Kings just could not handle the efficiency that the Spurs produced tonight and all season long. There is a reason why San Antonio has only lost 9 games this season.
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When a team has a roster full of players that play their roles at an exceptional level on both ends of the court, wins are close to the inevitable game by game and the Kings were victims of it tonight.
The Kings did have some stretches where the game was competitive, but in order to beat the Spurs, production has to be displayed for the full 48 minutes that an NBA game is played.
The Kings lost ground tonight in the playoff race and will need to bounce back quick. Unfortunately, for Sacramento, it won’t be easy as their next matchup is against the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night.