The Sacramento Kings will look to get back on the winning track and move closer to solidifying a spot in the postseason when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night in a late-season Western Conference matchup.
At 32-29, the new look Kings sit in ninth place — just 1 1/2 game out of avoiding the West’s play-in tournament. San Antonio (26-34) is in 13th place, 4 1/2 games below the play-in tournament line as they conclude the season without injured star center Victor Wembanyama.
The Kings head home after a four-game road trip that produced three wins before concluding with a 116-110 loss at Denver on Wednesday. Sacramento was ahead by nine points heading into the final quarter, but wilted despite 35 points from DeMar DeRozan, 20 from Zach Levine and Jonas Valanciunas’s 19-point, 13-rebound effort.
“We can keep saying that ‘we have a lot of new guys’ and that we are still trying to find our way, but that excuse is one that no one checks for you in this league,” Kings interim coach Doug Christie said. “People just run through you, beat the hell out of you, no matter what the excuse is.
“(We need to) take care of the basketball, play together, move the rock — if you do that, you have an opportunity to win.”
Sacramento has won four of its past five despite the hamstring injury of star center Domantas Sabonis, who will not play on Friday. The Kings also played on Wednesday without Malik Monk, who is battling a right toe sprain. Monk will miss Friday’s game and is considered day-to-day.
Friday’s clash is the first of a two-game road trip for San Antonio that wraps up Sunday at Minnesota. The Spurs have won two of their past three outings, most recently a 127-113 home victory over Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Devin Vassell hit a career-high eight 3-pointers as part of a career-best 37 points in Tuesday’s win as the Spurs expanded a five-point halftime lead to 19 entering the final quarter.
“I’m in my fifth year in the league and the more aggressive I am, not even just to score but just to make plays, the better we are playing,” Vassell said. “So just got to stay with it. I appreciate that my coaches and my teammates were just encouraging me.”
Stephon Castle added 17 points while Keldon Johnson and De’Aaron Fox added 15 each. Bismack Biyombo amassed 13 points and 14 rebounds while Chris Paul scored 11 for San Antonio.
It’s the first return to Sacramento for Fox, who was traded from the Kings to San Antonio in early February after spending seven-plus seasons in the California capital.
Fox said Thursday that his early concerns about playing for a different team and moving halfway across the nation were placated by his opportunity with the Spurs.
“I was just excited to be able to be in this position,” Fox told The Athletic. “Obviously, a lot of these (Spurs) are young, but I think they’re very talented, so it was definitely exciting.”
Fox also said he would need offseason surgery to address a dislocated finger on his left (shooting) hand.
“At some point, I’m going to have to get (surgery), but we’ll see where we are before that comes,” Fox said.
