Kings’ ‘next man up’ contributes to win over Spurs; what victory meant for franchise
The Kings promised they would not quit after being eliminated from NBA playoff contention with Saturday’s loss to the Houston Rockets.
They kept that promise Sunday evening despite being tired, road weary and physically ill, beating the San Antonio Spurs 113-106 at AT&T Center.
Buddy Hield scored 26 points to help the Kings (38-39) complete the franchise’s first sweep of the Spurs, a team they were chasing in the Western Conference playoff race. It was also the Kings’ first win in San Antonio since Jan. 20, 2012.
Willie Cauley-Stein had 17 points and six rebounds. Harrison Barnes and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 15 points apiece.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 18 rebounds for the Spurs (44-33). Rudy Gay had 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Kings concluded a difficult five-game, eight-day trip with one of their most impressive victories of the season. They will return to Sacramento to face the Houston Rockets on Tuesday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
The Kings announced before the game that rookie big men Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles III would not play, leaving them shorthanded with little frontcourt depth for the second night in a row.
Bagley was sidelined with a stomach illness that set in Saturday night, when he posted a double-double in his third career start. Giles missed his sixth consecutive game with a left thigh contusion.
“When guys go down, it’s always next man up,” Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said before the game. “It’s always a next-man-up mentality.”
As it turned out, the next man up was the last man down. Power forward Nemanja Bjelica returned to the starting lineup after missing Saturday’s loss to the Rockets with a stomach illness of his own. Bjelica fell ill following the team’s stop in New Orleans on Thursday.
“It was pretty bad,” Bjelica said. “I got poisoned by some food I ate and then I felt really sick, but I am feeling better. I’m ready to play.”
Bjelica had seven points in the first quarter to help the Kings withstand an early assault by Aldridge, who scored 18 in the opening frame. The Spurs took a 21-11 lead on a layup by Aldridge before the Kings cut the deficit to two on a three-point play by Hield.
The Kings claimed their first lead on a 3-pointer by Barnes early in the second quarter and went up 46-40 on a floater by Fox. The Spurs responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead on a 3-pointer by Marco Belinelli, but the Kings carried a 58-57 advantage into the locker room after baskets by Fox and Hield.
The teams traded leads in the third quarter, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn’t see much of it. Popovich was outraged over two questionable calls by referee Tyler Ford. Popovich was ejected and had to be restrained by Spurs small forward DeMar DeRozan after walking onto the floor to voice his displeasure.
The Kings led 89-87 going into the fourth quarter. They extended their lead to 11 on a basket by Bjelica and went up 101-89 on a free throw by Corey Brewer, but the Spurs stormed back with a 10-0 run. DeRozan’s jumper gave San Antonio a 106-105 lead with 2:53 to play, but big baskets by Fox and Barnes and two free throws by Cauley-Stein over the final 1:32 allowed the Kings to prevail.
Before the game, the Kings talked about emulating the success of the Spurs, who will make their 22nd consecutive playoff appearance under Popovich. They have won five NBA championships over that span.
“What they’ve done is great,” Fox said. “That’s what a dynasty is all about. Being able to be that consistent for that long, for that period of time, is great. I think every dynasty you look at — the Lakers, the Celtics, the Spurs, the Warriors — that’s what everybody wants to do.
“Hopefully, if we continue to get better, we’ll be square in the playoff race next year and for years to come, but as a team we’ve got to get better and continue growing.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 7:04 PM.