Kings at Spurs
THE STORY:
The Sacramento Kings are coming off their most memorable sequence of
the season as they try to dent the perfect home record of the San
Antonio Spurs on Friday. The Kings outscored the Indiana Pacers 26-8 in
the final quarter Wednesday to rally to an improbable 92-88 victory.
Sacramento recovered from a 16-point deficit to win despite shooting
only 30.1 percent from the field – the worst percentage by a winning NBA
team since the Denver Nuggets defeated San Antonio while shooting 29.2
percent early in the 2003-04 campaign. “I don’t know how we did it,”
said Kings coach Keith Smart, “but this group has some resilience.”
Sacramento was helped by DeMarcus Cousins, who matched a career-high
with 19 rebounds. The Spurs are 9-0 at home this season and have also
won nine consecutive home games against Sacramento dating back to the
2005-06 season. Six of San Antonio’s home victories this season have
been by double digits. The Spurs defeated Orlando 85-83 in overtime on
Wednesday for their first road win of the season.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CS Sacramento, FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE KINGS (5-10):
Francisco Garcia is the one veteran among Sacramento’s stable of guards
and the Kings turned to him against the Pacers. The 31-year-old Garcia
scored 10 of his 16 points in the final quarter and stabilized the
backcourt. Garcia averages 17 minutes per game but could be in line for
more time with rookies Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas having
consistency issues while spelling 25-year-old Marcus Thornton and
22-year-old Tyreke Evans, respectively.
ABOUT THE SPURS (10-5):
San Antonio had lost 10 consecutive road games dating back to last
season and the streak was mystifying. One night earlier, San Antonio was
blasted 120-98 by the Miami Heat, so forward Richard Jefferson opted to
keep the victory over Orlando in perspective. “I know it’s the first
road victory, but let us not get carried away,” Jefferson said. “It’s
not like we were a bad team or under .500.” The Spurs hop right back on
the road for games at Houston on Saturday and New Orleans on Monday.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. San Antonio has beaten Sacramento 12 consecutive times and last lost to the Kings early in the 2007-08 campaign.
2.
The last time Sacramento won by shooting such a low percentage, the
franchise was known as the Cincinnati Royals and the Lakers were still
located in Minneapolis. Cincinnati shot 30 percent in a 90-89 victory
over Minneapolis on Dec. 1, 1957.
3. The Spurs are averaging 103.4 points at home and only 93.8 on the road.