By Sam Amick
samick@sacbee.com

The final minute showed that the Kings' owners aren't the only ones waiting and watching so very closely.
As the team's mascot spun the crank on an old-fashioned alarm in the center of the Arco Arena floor on Sunday night, the 11,699 in attendance refused to be impressed by a late tie score against a depleted Western Conference power. Most cheered halfheartedly, a few stood, but it was as if the onus of proving one's self was on the home team and a prerequisite of actual support.
The Kings' 90-88 loss to San Antonio was far from enough to inspire confidence in the masses or the front office, as the Kings lost a second straight home game by two points since co-owner Joe Maloof questioned the job being done by second-year coach Reggie Theus.
More than that, they did it in the sort of fashion that will surely raise eyebrows from within.
Just as Friday's opponent, Phoenix, had been without a future Hall of Famer (Steve Nash) and a one-time Sixth Man of the Year (Leandro Barbosa), the Spurs were in a similar disadvantage with absences of injured point guard Tony Parker and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili. The Kings knew the feeling, of course, as two main pieces of their core (Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia) remained out due to injury.
But Maloof had complained about the Kings' inability to defend the three-point line, and so it was bad timing to allow the Spurs to hit 9 of 20 from beyond the arc. He had agonized about the ongoing turnover problem, and likely continues to do so after the Kings finished with 18 giveaways (for 18 points).
Spurs forward Tim Duncan - so often the reason for open outside looks as the Kings helped down low defensively - was just enough on his own in the second straight Spurs' win. With 15.4 seconds left, he crashed through Kings guard Quincy Douby near the restricted area on the left and hit the 20-point mark with a running right-hander to put San Antonio up by the final margin. 
In what would end as a 16-point fourth quarter for the Kings in which they hit just 5 of 18 from the field (27.8 percent), they didn't have a field goal after John Salmons' jumper at the 2:31 mark. And Theus, who was reminded of the organization's desire to rely on its youth through Maloof's recent comments, came up empty once again while doing just that to an extreme degree.
Douby, who missed an 18-footer at the end of regulation against Phoenix, missed his second straight potential game-winner with an airballed three-pointer at the buzzer from atop the key. The Kings had airballed their last two attempts, as Brad Miller whiffed with 4.9 seconds left from the right wing.
Rookie Jason Thompson couldn't convert when Theus called his number late either, as the spun around Fabricio Oberto in the left post and missed from eight feet out with 32.9 seconds left. Meanwhile, veteran swingman John Salmons - who admitted his confusion and frustration afterward -was one point away from his career high (31 points on 10 of 13 shooting) but had just two fourth quarter attempts (both makes). 
"You have to have confidence in your players," Theus said when asked about his late-game decisions. "As a shooter, as a scorer, you always know that the guy who is a great shooter is always capable of knocking down a big shot. Right now, we don't really have too many other options either, with Cisco and Kevin out. Down the stretch, it's tough. There's nothing you can do about that one."
Douby, who had 12 points on 4 of 10 shooting in 25 minutes, was left to explain yet another last second letdown.
"On the last play, it was set up," Douby said. "We didn't have a lot of time left so we needed some screens. I was open. I felt it leave my fingers and it wasn't a good shot...Coach is showing a lot of confidence in me."
The Kings avoided the Spurs' pressure early to build a 23-15 first quarter lead. Salmons' maneuvering led to 10 of his 16 first-half points in the first quarter, and a 15-6 edge on the glass came mostly because every Spurs player outside of Duncan was being outworked in the paint.
But 10 Kings turnovers by halftime meant the Spurs would recover, and a 6 of 20 shooting effort in the opening period by San Antonio didn't last. The Spurs - whose 15 first-quarter points were a season-low for a Kings' opponent in one period - led 43-42 at halftime.
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