Fourth-Quarter Rally Burns Sacramento Kings in San Antonio

The Sacramento Kings lost to the San Antonio Spurs tonight by a score of 98-85. Listed down below is the summary of the game as well as key facts to take away from the contest.

Game Summary

The Kings started tonight’s game hot. They were the more aggressive team in the first quarter which resulted in a 25-17 lead for them after one. The purple and black continued to play solid in the second as they kept their lead going into halftime by a score of 50-43.

The theme of the game remained the same during the third quarter. The Kings were playing well while preventing the Spurs’ big men, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol, to get any rhythm on the offensive end. As a result, the Kings hung on to a 66-60 lead as the third concluded. But when the fourth quarter started, the NBA became normal again. The Spurs started to play like themselves which caused them to erupt for a 38-19 quarter advantage, giving them the victory.

Final Thoughts

The Kings were able to play good basketball for three quarters, but when it mattered, they were unable to come through. However, it was still a nice effort by the Kings. They played tough and efficient for most of the game as they competed against a Spurs team that needed to win tonight in order for them to earn a playoff seed.

Hopefully, playing competitively against good teams remains to be a trend for the Kings next year. You know, when everyone in the Kings community is rooting for their team to win.

Listed down below are some notes to take away from tonight’s game.

Key Takeaways

• Willie Cauley-Stein had a great game as he was effective on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he recorded 25 points, and on the defensive end, he grabbed 10 rebounds while playing good defense on LaMarcus Aldridge.
• Rudy Gay had his revenge game on the Kings tonight. He was the player on San Antonio to spark their rally late in the game as he finished with 18 points and six rebounds.
• De’Aaron Fox had one of those games where he gave immense hope to Kings fans as he scored 21 points and dished out seven assists. Fox also made three three-pointers out of the five shots he attempted from the area.
• The Kings were able to limit LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol which helped Sacramento take the lead for most of the game. For the night, the Spurs’ duo scored just 17 points.
• Bogdan Bogdanovic was not himself as he scored just two points while shooting 1-8 from the floor. One has to think that if Bogi was able to get some sort of rhythm going, the Kings might have been able to pull off the upset.
• Fouls were an issue for the Kings tonight as it resulted in 29 San Antonio free-throw attempts. The Spurs ended up making 24 of them which helped them stay in the game for the first three quarters and eventually win the game for them in the end.