Spurs vs. Kings GAMEDAY: Can San Antonio Contain West's Hottest Team?
The San Antonio Spurs will look to achieve their first win of their West Coast road trip when they take on the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
The Spurs are coming off a 117-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers despite receiving a career-high 31 points from Jakob Poeltl. He was 14-17 from the floor with 14 rebounds. San Antonio even led by six points with 6:50 remaining in regulation.
“It’s tough because we felt like we had that game,” Poeltl said. “We just couldn’t close it out. We kind of gave them momentum in the fourth quarter and they took advantage of it, ran away with it, got the crowd behind them, and it feels like we didn’t have a response.”
There isn't a hotter team in the Western Conference than the Sacramento Kings right now. Sacramento is coming off a 153-121 win over the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first team to score 150 points in a game this season. The team has won four consecutive games and are 7-2 in their previous nine games.
"All those players in the locker room deserve it," Kings coach Mike Brown said."I heard the commissioner was in the building, too. To have him in the building and see Sacramento and see the work that those guys have put in ... I'm excited for the city of Sacramento."
De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are a tough tandem to account for as it is, but the Kings have surrounded them with perimeter shooting to keep the floor spaced. The Spurs defense will be tested.
INJURY REPORT (SPURS): Zach Collins - Out (Lower Leg Contusion), Blake Wesley - Out (MCL Sprain), Romeo Langford - Out (Health & Safety Protocols), Malaki Branham - Out (Ankle Sprain)
INJURY REPORT (KINGS): Keegan Murray - Questionable (Lower Back Soreness)
RECORDS: San Antonio Spurs (6-9), Sacramento Kings (7-6)
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2022, at 9:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, CA)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW), NBA League Pass
RADIO: Spurs Radio - WOAI 1200
ODDS: -7.0 Kings
NEXT UP: After taking on the Kings, the Spurs will continue their road trip against the LA Clippers on Saturday.
FINAL WORD: Jakob Poeltl on losing games they felt they could win.
“It hurts every single time when we feel like we have a game in our hands or we have a good run going and feel like we have it all figured out,” Poeltl said. “And then we throw it away with little things like execution mistakes.”
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