SACRAMENTO -- Several words could describe the Kings' win over the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night at Golden 1 Center.
Nail-biting. Thrilling. Gritty, perhaps?
To coach Mike Brown and his players, it was unacceptable.
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"Obviously, we found a way to get the win and we will take the win," Brown said after Sacramento's 131-129 win. "But give San Antonio credit, give [Gregg Popovich] credit, give all those guys a lot of credit. They came in here and they played hard. Defensively, they were very physical. They played the right way offensively. They really shared the basketball, moved that ball from side to side.
"But at the end of the day -- we have to play better than that. We can't accept the way that we played tonight. We'll take the win, but we can't accept the way that we played tonight and think that everything is going to be OK."
The Kings had an early 20-point lead against the Spurs, who sit in dead last in the Western Conference.
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Without their 7-foot-4 sensation in 20-year-old rookie Wembaynama, who sat out due to a right ankle sprain, Thursday's game should have been a walk in the park for the Kings.
But of course, it never is for this team.
What once was a comfortable lead became an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter and, just two games after losing to the Chicago Bulls in a late-game collapse in front of their home crowd, the Kings were on the verge of falling to old habits on Thursday.
"At the end of the day, the way we defended, the way we turned the ball over and responded to those turnovers -- that can't fly," Brown said. "We have to continue to learn and grow so we don't keep putting ourselves in a position like we were tonight."
Sacramento's season has been highlighted -- or lowlighted -- by its notorious ways of blowing big leads and folding under pressure -- mainly against the bottom barrel of the league or shorthanded teams.
While the Kings finally were able to rewrite their story that all too many Kings fans have read over and over again, thanks to a game-winning steal and dunk from Kings All-Star center Domantas Sabonis with 7.1 seconds left, Brown wasn't impressed.
And Sabonis, seconding Brown's displeasure with the victory, also would like a little more consistency from his team in closing out games.
"Yeah I mean, it's great. It's not a position we want to be in, but just to get this win, it's great. It looked really pretty ugly there with a minute left and I was like, 'Ah, not again.' "
Not again.
That should tell you all you need to know about the Kings this season. The fans are fed up, the coaches are fed up and, most importantly, the players are fed up with falling apart in crunch time.
And this is coming from the guy whose heroics single-handedly saved the game. Joy and excitement weren't gleaming from his demeanor. Rather, he was looking at the bigger picture and knew there is a greater issue needing to be fixed.
Just one week ago, the Kings defeated the Western Conference's No. 1 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime at Target Center. They then lost to the Bulls at home before making a quick trip to Los Angeles, where they defeated LeBron James and the Lakers.
That sequence of games perfectly depicts this season for the Kings, and it would have been on brand for them to lose Thursday's game against the lowly Spurs.
After Wednesday's big win against the Lakers, Sabonis shared the team's mindset about returning home to face a team without its star.
"Just don't drop an egg," Sabonis said. "We've done it countless times this year. We beat a top team and then we come in and lose a game against a lower seed. And it could have happened today.
"Thankfully, we got the win, but there's still a lot to learn. We can't win on the last second."
Sabonis said some of that includes learning how to control the game in tight situations like Thursday, rather than chucking up shots or being out of rhythm offensively. And he believes the same applies to the other end of the floor, where he would like to see the team turn it up defensively in close games.
The Lithuanian big man recorded his 45th consecutive double-double, finishing with 31 points on 14-of-19 shooting from the field and 17 rebounds, nine assists and one game-sealing steal in 38 minutes.
His All-NBA teammate and Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox finished with a game-high 33 points -- including 17 in the final frame -- along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
Yes, the win was big for the Kings -- which win isn't? But as they currently sit a half-game back from the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns and one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans, Thursday's win opened a six-game home stand that will be pivotal to their spot in the Western Conference standings with the playoffs just around the corner.