Kings lose to San Antonio Spurs despite career high 39-points from De’Aaron Fox
De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 39 points, but the Kings lost their first game in the NBA bubble, falling 129-120 to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at the Visa Athletic Center at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.
DeMar DeRozan had 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 10 assists and five rebounds for the Spurs (28-36). Derrick White had 26 points and eight rebounds.
Fox made 17 of 33 from the field but just 1 of 7 from 3-point range for the Kings (28-39), who have a small margin for error in an eight-game race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 24 points. Buddy Hield was held to six points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field and 1-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Fox surpassed his previous career high of 34 points, set in a 124-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 1. He also had six assists, becoming the first player Kings player to post 35 points and five assists in a game since DeMarcus Cousins on Feb. 14, 2017, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“That’s why we talk about De’Aaron the way that we do,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “We put a lot on him, but he’s shown in games like tonight what’s capable of. … De’Aaron had a pretty special game and we’re going to need it from him again.”
The Kings committed 15 turnovers and sent the Spurs to the free-throw line 27 times.
“Going into it, we talked about it throughout training camp, rebounding, taking care of the ball, defending without fouling,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “I thought we had too many turnovers tonight and I thought we sent them to the free-throw line too often.”
The Kings and Spurs played for the first time since the NBA season was suspended March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fox came out on the attack, driving for a couple of easy layups and hitting an early 3-pointer.
Fox helped the Kings build a 23-20 lead midway through the opening period, but then the Kings nearly fell apart. A second unit consisting of Cory Joseph, Hield, Kent Bazemore, Harrison Barnes and Harry Giles III looked oddly out of sorts, surrendering the bulk of a 19-0 run that left the Kings trailing 39-23.
Hield made a 3-pointer to spark an 8-0 run to open the second quarter The Kings eventually got within four on a 3-pointer by Fox and regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Bogdanovic. Fox had 20 points in the opening half, helping Sacramento carry a 65-64 lead into the break.
The teams exchanged leads throughout the third quarter. A basket by DeRozan gave the Spurs a 96-92 lead going into the fourth. San Antonio extended its lead to eight early in the fourth, but the Kings battled back to tie the game on an alley-oop dunk by DaQuan Jeffries.
The Kings called a timeout while trailing 109-105 with 5:55 remaining. They got a 3-pointer from Bogdanovic on the next possession and tied the game moments later on a basket by Fox, but back-to-back baskets by DeRozan put San Antonio up by six with 1:57 to play.
National anthem
The Kings and Spurs joined players and coaches throughout the league in kneeling during a prerecorded rendition of the national anthem sung by San Antonio native Spensha Baker.
Players wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Some locked arms in solidarity. Many bowed their heads.
Walton took a knee along with his players. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did not kneel, but his thoughts on demonstrations for racial equality were clear in his response to a question from The Sacramento Bee before the game.
“While we’re here, considering what’s going on in our country with race, it’s always been our national sin and it’s always been something that has never been faced as well as it should have been,” Popovich said.
“With the events that we’ve all witnessed in this last year, it’s just logical and wise to keep that momentum going and try to keep this on the front burner because it is a national embarrassment. It keeps us from being the country that we should be or the country that was promised to everyone, and nothing could be more poignant than to have all of the teams here all committed to making statements and letting it be known that this has got to change, and not just a little bit.”
Playoff fever
The Kings woke up in a playoff race Friday and the excitement was evident during a Zoom session with reporters following the morning shootaround.
“We know these games are the ones that count,” Fox said. “... We know (in) these games, every single game matters, every second matters, every possession matters. We want to value every single possession.”
The Kings are trying to end the longest active playoff drought in the NBA after 13 consecutive losing seasons. The Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Kings, Spurs and Phoenix Suns are all vying for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a team that hasn’t seen the playoffs in 13 years to really bring something back to the city,” Kings guard Kent Bazemore said.
Lineup/rotation
Walton elected to start Fox, Bogdanovic, Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica and Richaun Holmes. He played 10 men in the opening half, bringing Joseph, Hield, Bazemore, Giles and Jeffries off the bench.
Jeffries became a bit of a scrimmage sensation as Sacramento prepared for the restart inside the NBA bubble. The 22-year-old undrafted rookie has emerged as an intriguing prospect with a 6-foot 5-inch, 230-pound frame and a 6-11¼ wingspan.
Jeffries delivered another soaring alley-oop dunk to tie the game in the fourth quarter. More importantly, Walton showed enough trust to put him in the game ahead of veterans such as Corey Brewer and Jabari Parker.
Up next
The Kings will be back in action Sunday when they play the Orlando Magic. The Magic (31-35) beat the Brooklyn Nets 128-118 on Friday. Evan Fournier scored 24 points. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Kings schedule/results
July 31 vs. Spurs, 5 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 2 vs. Magic, 3 p.m. (NBCS, NBA TV)
Aug. 4 vs. Mavericks, 11:30 a.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 6 vs. Pelicans, 10:30 a.m. (NBCS, NBA TV)
Aug. 7 vs. Nets, 2 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 9 vs. Rockets, 5 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 11 vs. Pelicans, 6 p.m. (NBCS, TNT)
Aug. 13 vs. Lakers, TBD (NBCS)
