Kings at Spurs
The nine-game rodeo road trip is over and the San Antonio Spurs play at home for the first time since Feb. 6 when they entertain the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. San Antonio went 4-5 on the long excursion as it continues to struggle but hopes a 101-74 trouncing of the Phoenix Suns in the finale is a sign the club is on the verge of getting it together. The Spurs are in seventh place in the Western Conference.
Sacramento is 3-3 since George Karl took over as coach, and the largest triumph came Tuesday when the Kings began an eight-game road trip by annihilating the New York Knicks 124-86. Center DeMarcus Cousins was surprisingly fit to play after missing two games with ankle and hip injuries, and he had 22 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes while posting his 35th double-double of the campaign. Point guard Darren Collison underwent core muscle surgery and is expected to miss approximately six weeks.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE KINGS (21-37): Karl credited the offensive splurge against the Knicks to the presence of Cousins, saying his ability to pass the ball opens up the offense. The All-Star still is getting adjusted to Karl’s system, and team-first unselfish basketball is much to his liking. “I think we did a good job of sharing the ball,” Cousins told reporters. “Everyone was involved. I think we communicated well early on and I think everyone played within the flow of the game, so it made it a lot easier.”
ABOUT THE SPURS (36-23): Veteran power forward Tim Duncan knows the season has been a rough one for the defending champions, but he’s hoping cooler heads will prevail with just 23 games remaining. “When you lose games, three or four in a row like we have, people start to panic and want to change something or change everything,” Duncan told reporters. “You have to stay steady with it and understand it’s a work in progress and we’re not in as bad a position as it may seem at the time.” Small forward Kawhi Leonard had a big game against the Suns with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double since Jan. 25.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Kings have dropped five straight games in San Antonio.
2. Spurs PG Tony Parker is just 13-of-50 from the field over the last five games.
3. Sacramento SF Rudy Gay scored 25 points against New York for his 35th 20-point outing of the season.