Throughout the course of the upcoming season, the Sacramento Kings will take on the San Antonio Spurs four times. While they're sure to be a tough challenge for the Kings, one can't help but wonder what Sacramento will look like by their last meeting and if the Spurs will find them a challenge.
When the full NBA schedule dropped a couple of weeks ago, there were a few details that stood out. First, it was a tough lineup for Sacramento, but nowhere near as bad as last season. The 2025-2026 schedule seemed designed to crush any hope from the souls of the Kings and their fans.
Additionally, the Kings will face the Clippers four times this season. That includes the opening and closing road games of 2026-2027 for Sacramento. This will provide an opportunity for benchmarking the progress of the rebuild as well as the development of the Kings' rookies and sophomores.
Sacramento is in a similar position with San Antonio. They face each other four times, three of which happen before Christmas. The Spurs will be the Kings' fourth opponent of 2026-2027, as well as their fourth-to-last. On top of that, there's a chance they'll get a fifth game due to the Emirates Cup.
Will the Kings give the Spurs a real challenge later in the season?
Unlike the Clippers, it's hard to see the Kings beating the Spurs. San Antonio is the reigning Western Conference champs and faced the Knicks for the 2026 title. They lost in five games, including being on the wrong side of the greatest Finals comeback game in history, but they were there.
As it stands right now, the Spurs are better coached, have some of the top young stars in the league, and are more seasoned as a team. They are further down their own rebuild path than the one the Kings are currently on. And it's a path the Kings will also be further down by the end of this season.
After Sacramento's third meeting with San Antonio on November 23, 2026, these two teams don't see each other again until April 6, 2027. That gap will hopefully give this Kings' roster time to grow, find a rhythm, and become an actual challenge for a team of the caliber of the Spurs.
Are they going to beat San Antonio? Most likely not. But success for the Kings this season will be defined in part by how much improvement this team shows. If they are even able to give the Spurs a run for their money by the final games of 2026-2027, that will be a huge leap forward for Sacramento.
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