SACRAMENTO -- Streak snapped. The Kings came into Wednesday night feeling good about themselves after winning three straight. For nearly 33 minutes, they gave the San Antonio Spurs everything they could handle.
And then George Karl turned to his bench.
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SIGN UP HERE In a matter of minutes, the Kings went from tied at 61-61 to down 96-76, and their 20-point deficit to the Spurs might as well have been 50. They fought to get back in the game, but the spurt by the Spurs to end the third and begin the fourth was too much to overcome. It almost takes a perfect game to beat San Antonio, and tonight the Kings didn’t have it, falling by a final of 108-92 on their home floor.
The Kings made Kyle Anderson look like Ryan Anderson. The reserve forward lit the Kings up for 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes of play.
Tony Parker was masterful as always, dropping in 23 points and handing out six assists. Danny Green added 16 points on 6-of-9 from the field including 4-for-7 from long range. Kawhi Leonard chipped in 18, but shot just 5-for-16 from the field.
DeMarcus Cousins couldn’t buy a basket in the first half, missing all 10 of his shot attempts before the intermission. He came up big in the third, scoring 16 points in the quarter. He finished the night with 22 points and 10 rebounds, notching his 33rd double-double of the season.
NBA
While most of the Kings players were struggling with their shot, Darren Collison couldn’t miss. The veteran point guard ran the Spurs ragged, hitting several midrange jumpers on his way to 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Willie Cauley-Stein gave the second unit a boost, dropping in 12 points and grabbing six rebounds in 16 minutes. Quincy Acy hit for 15 as the starting power forward and Rudy Gay added 11 points and five rebounds as the Kings fell to 24-32 on the season.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Anderson smoked the Kings in the first half. It looked like he was moving in slow motion, but the ball kept finding the bottom of the net. R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich know how to find talent.
TURNING POINT
The Spurs used a burst to end the third to jump all over the Kings. If you give the Spurs and inch, they take a mile.
INJURY UPDATE
The Kings survived another game without a new injury. Pretty shocking.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Kings get a much-needed day off on Thursday before jumping back into the action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at Sleep Train Arena.