SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Guard Tony Parker scored 23 points, and the San Antonio Spurs dominated over the game’s final 16 minutes to continue their mastery of the Sacramento Kings with a 108-92 victory at Sleep Train Arena on Wednesday.
Parkers made 11 of 17 shots from the field and added six assists for the Spurs (48-9). He also led San Antonio’s 25-7 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters, ending Sacramento’s hopes.
Forward Kawhi Leonard returned from a three-game absence caused by a strained calf and scored 18 points for the Spurs, who pushed their winning streak to three games. Leonard’s return also helped the Spurs regain their usual stingy defense. The NBA’s top-ranked defensive team (92.7 points per game before Thursday), held a team under 100 points for the first time in four games since the All-Star break.
Center DeMarcus Cousins scored all but one of his team-high 22 points in the second half and also grabbed 10 rebounds for the Kings (24-32), who saw their three-game winning streak end. Cousins made eight of 13 shots in the second half after missing all 10 of his shots from the field in the first 24 minutes.
Guard Darren Collison and forward Quincy Acy scored 15 points apiece for Sacramento, which has lost five straight to the Spurs. Guard Rajon Rondo added 18 assists to go with seven points, the 18th time this season he totaled at least 15 helpers. He needs one more game with at least 10 to tie Reggie Theus for the most 10-assist games in a season in Sacramento history.
The Spurs took off after a Cousins dunk tied the game 61-61 with 4:35 left in the third quarter. San Antonio guard Patty Mills knocked down a 3-pointer to unlock the tie and start a 15-9 run to end the third quarter.
Parker and forward Kyle Anderson opened the fourth quarter by knocking down jumpers, and San Antonio scored 13 of the first 15 points in the final 12 minutes to put the contest away.
Spurs guard Danny Green scored 16 points, and Anderson had 14.
NOTES: With F Kawhi Leonard back for San Antonio, second-year F Kyle Anderson returned to the Spurs’ bench after a career-best three consecutive starts. He averaged nine points in nearly 29 minutes per game. … The Kings played for the second straight night after playing only one time in the previous 12 days because of the All-Star break. They play their final 26 games over a nearly seven-week stretch and get a two-day break between games only twice. … San Antonio is in the midst of a 24-day stretch in it will not play a single home game. The long absence is caused by the annual rodeo held at the AT&T Center as well as the NBA’s All-Star break. … The Kings played the first of a three straight home games against teams that entered Wednesday with a combined 17-7 record in February and 52-15 since the start of January.