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The Spurs were able to defeat the Kings tonight playing with more energy and intensity than the road-tired California cages. Spurs made the game ugly and the Kings shot the ball like mere mortals tonight, giving the more aggressive side the edge, which Spurs exploited for a relatively easy 120-106 win. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Silver and Black took care of the business and took home a win, which hasn’t been easy this season. Gorgui Dieng made his debut for Spur, but only played 5 minutes before being injured after a hard blow from former Spur Chimezie Metu. Drew Eubanks performed well, providing a key assist in the fourth quarter as the Kings fouled Jakob Poeltl for messing around and trying to catch up. DeMar DeRozan provided the punch for the Spurs as they put the game away in fourth.
Observations
- Earlier in the day I had heard that Lonnie Walker IV was out and Gorgui Dieng was not yet ready to play, but later both were upgraded to play status. Lonnie ended up be held back, but Dieng entered the game late in the first quarter and scored on a pair of free throws after being hit hard by former Spur Chimezie Metu. Unfortunately, the Metu hit a sprained shoulder from Dieng, and he was out after just 5 minutes for Spurs. Hopefully it won’t be a long absence, but Drew Eubanks performed admirably as a backup center tonight after coming on duty unexpectedly.
- Tonight marked the official start of the Spurs broadcast on the Bally Sports Network. Bally who?
- The Kings haven’t touched all the punches they’ve taken tonight. Best defense, or was Monday just an aberration?
- Spurs just played a lot harder tonight than they did in the previous game, at least early on. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was productive.
- Tyrese Halliburton has a very polished game for a rookie. This Kings team is full of talent. They’ll be really good in a few years if they can keep this group together.
- I don’t understand how you can foul a player after the buzzer and there is no penalty. So it’s a free shot if you wait for the light to come on? It’s not cool.
- With Dieng out for a while, Jakob Poeltl will be fouled whenever a team is late in the fourth quarter. He needs to improve in free throws otherwise it will continue to be a weakness for Spurs.
Game flow
Spurs got off to a rough start, with a rolling and defensive flub giving the Kings a 4-0 lead, but Spurs came back with a fierce defense and Dejounte Murray dunks as they led 17-11 ahead. the first stop playing with more than half of the first quarter. Spurs were leading 33-27 at the end of the quarter.
Delon Wright started second with a pair of three shots on point for the Kings as they tied things up, but Spurs fought back with Rudy Gay and Patty Mills hitting clutch shots as they recovered the lead Spurs at 6, forcing a Luke. Walton’s time-out. The Silver and Black aggression continued as they extended the lead to a dozen late in the quarter with a DeRozan layup. The Spurs barrage continued to the buzzer when Keldon Johnson suffered a foul on a triple, but after the time limit had expired. Still, Spurs took their aggressiveness in the second quarter to a 69-53 lead.
The Kings started the third quarter hot, but Spurs responded to every shot with one of their own, with DeMar DeRozan unstoppable in the midfield. The led Spurs increased their lead to 21 and kept the pressure on the young Kings. Buddy Hield, who had been held in check, exploded during the quarter, cutting Spurs’ 23-point lead to a dozen at the end of the quarter. The Spur led 97-82 with three free throws from Rudy Gay providing the final margin.
Spurs started the last quarter on a cold streak, but the Kings were equally cold and Spurs kept them at arm’s length early in the quarter, keeping the lead in the 13-19 point range midway through the quarter. The Kings went with a Hack a Jakob strategy, and with Poeltl missing from the line, Drew Eubanks was forced to come back with 5 minutes left. Luckily for Silver and Black, Drew was up to the task as Spurs extended the lead and the white flag was waved at 2:30 am to go with Spurs ahead by 18. Cam Reynolds, Luka Samanic, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Tre Jones closed the game as Spurs won 120-106.
Musical break
The Crash Test Dummies are one of those bands that are mostly known for one song, but they have a huge catalog of great music. Extremely underrated, like the Spurs.
And after . . .
For the Kings fan perspective, visit Sactown Royalty.
The Spurs continue their almost endless homestand against Atlanta tomorrow night at 7:30 am, and the Hawks have been playing really well lately, so it will be another tough competition for the Silver and Black. Spurs will have to play well and cannot give home games in the home stretch of the season.
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