Kings at Spurs
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't too pleased with how his team performed in a 97-78 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, and they dropped two of the last three in their own building following a 14-game home winning streak. The Spurs will try to take advantage of one of the teams at the bottom of the standings when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
"Their defense got us out of everything," Popovich told reporters after Friday's loss. "Our defense wasn't great. Their speed got us. We didn't get back in transition. So, I thought they did a great job. If I was a San Antonio fan tonight, I'd ask for my money back." Friday marked the opener of a five-game homestand for San Antonio, which still owns an NBA-best 20-4 mark at home. The Kings are just 8-19 on the road but two of those wins came in the last two games, making the team 2-2 on a six-game trip that ends in New Orleans on Tuesday. Sacramento is giving longer looks to its younger players and was led by the likes of Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox while closing Thursday's 89-88 win at Miami on a 17-4 run.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE KINGS (15-33): Sacramento is sitting veterans every game in an effort to get younger players more minutes, and point guard George Hill taking the night off Thursday meant more room for Fox. The rookie from Kentucky responded with 14 points in 30 minutes, including the deciding dunk with three seconds remaining. "It was great for us," Fox told reporters of the win. "It just showed we were playing hard. We're young, but it's just a reputation you're trying to get in the league to just let everyone know that you're not going to lay down."
ABOUT THE SPURS (32-19): Friday's 78-point effort marked a season low for San Antonio, which went 3-of-24 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 56-39 in the setback. The Spurs dropped three of their last five games and are still missing superstar Kawhi Leonard, who was shut down nearly two weeks ago with a recurrence of quad tendinopathy and still does not have a timetable for a return. Also missing is veteran shooting guard Manu Ginobili, who remains day-to-day after sitting out the last six contests with a thigh bruise.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kings C Willie Cauley-Stein suffered a bone bruise in his right knee in Thursday's win and will sit out Sunday.
2. Spurs SG Danny Green is 4-of-23 from 3-point range over the last five games.
3. San Antonio took the last 12 in the series, including a 107-100 win at Sacramento on Jan. 8.