SACRAMENTO -- Break up the Kings.
Sacramento continues to defy the oddsmakers at every turn. On Monday night at Golden 1 Center, it was the San Antonio Spurs who walked in as favorites and walked away with a loss.
The Kings strung together eight stops in a row in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, and six players scored in double figures to help propel Sacramento to a 104-99 victory.
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SIGN UP HERE Here are six notes as the Kings improved to 2-2 on the homestand and 8-6 overall on the season.
Bogdanovic finds a rhythm
The Kings have played most of the season without one of their best players. But Bogdan Bogdanovic had his minutes restriction increased Monday after knee issues cost him training camp and the first 10 games of the season.
Bogi made the most of his opportunity, stuffing the stat sheet for 22 points and three assists in 25 minutes of play. Bogdanovic looked comfortable and confident running the second unit, which helped stabilize the Kings’ attack.
NBA
Gliding
De’Aaron Fox is beginning to get comfortable with his talent. The speedster can beat anyone in a foot race, but against San Antonio, he showed an array of silky-smooth skills to get free of his defender.
Fox dropped in 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from long range. He added seven assists, including a huge alley-oop to Willie Cauley-Stein that helped end the Spurs’ chances late in the contest.
Bounce back Buddy
Buddy Hield couldn’t buy a bucket Saturday versus the Lakers, but that wasn’t an issue against the Spurs.
Sacramento’s starting shooting guard hit 5 of 13 from the field and added two 3-pointers to finish with 14 points. Hield seems to be working through an adjustment period since Bogdanovic’s return, but it shouldn’t take long for guards to get on the same page.
Harry Giles sighting
After tearing up the G League on Sunday for 30 points in 23 minutes, Giles looked confident in his stint with the Kings. The rookie big scored a career-high 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and chipped in six rebounds in the win.
Giles struggled with foul trouble in his 16 minutes of action, but he played strong defense on LaMarcus Aldridge and brought an energy to the court that his team needed.
Doing work
Aldridge is a tough cover, but Cauley-Stein did a yeoman’s job. The Spurs All-Star big hit the boards hard, finishing with 18 rebounds to go with 14 points. Cauley-Stein responded with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double.
More importantly, Cauley-Stein’s team walked away with a win.
The numbers
The Spurs had posted 14 consecutive victories over the Kings, including the last seven in Sacramento. ... The Kings are 6-0 when leading heading into the fourth quarter, and they have yet to lose in three opportunities when holding their opponent under 100 points.