Spurs come through in the clutch, deal Kings 6th straight loss

Chris Biderman, The Sacramento Bee on Nov 16, 2025

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SAN ANTONIO — The Sacramento Kings’ woes continued Sunday against old friends in San Antonio.

De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and the Spurs, who were without French sensation Victor Wembanyama and reigning rookie of the year Stephon Castle for the second half, dealt the visiting Kings their sixth-straight loss, 123-110, in a matinee at Frost Bank Center.

Fox got the better of his former team by scoring 28 points with 11 assists. Barnes added his second 20-point game of the season. They outdueled DeMar DeRozan, whose scoring form returned against his former team after struggling the previous two games, pouring in 27 points while going 12 of 15 from the field.

The player Fox was traded for, Zach LaVine, had a quiet game, finishing with eight points, while Kings coach Doug Christie elected to keep LaVine on the bench in crunch time in favor of Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook.

The Kings never led in the game and allowed the Spurs to shoot 54% from the field. They lost despite getting double-digit performances from DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Westbrook, Schroder and Monk. Schroder hit five 3-pointers.

Fox scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, capping it with a step-back 3-pointer while double-teamed by Monk and DeRozan. It was Sacramento’s sixth-straight loss by double digits as they fell to 3-11. San Antonio improved to 9-4.

Halftime report: DeRozan bounces back

The Spurs had a 67-59 lead at the half after the Kings won the second quarter, 35-31. Fox had 12 points and five assists on 4-of-10 shooting in the first half.

DeRozan scored 16 of Sacramento’s first 35 points after scoring 10 points combined in his previous two games. He finished with 18 in the first half while making 8 of 9 from the floor. The rest of the Kings shot 15 of 36 (42%).

Westbrook, making his second consecutive start at point guard, had five turnovers at the break. Schroder was Sacramento’s second leading scorer with 14 points off the bench. Sabonis added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Even without Wembanyama, San Antonio out-rebounded the Kings 24-19 and moved the ball well with 20 first-half assists.

LaVine had just two points on three shot attempts in the first half.

The Spurs ruled out Castle with a left hip injury at halftime.

Scrambling amid Wembanyama’s absence

Christie suggested the Kings were taken by surprise when Spurs coach Mitch Johnson announced two hours before tip off that star big man Wembanyama would be out with left calf tightness.

“He was the whole damn scout,” Christie said pregame. “That’s crazy. But that’s part of our league. You don’t know, so you adjust. It’s Bobby (Jackson’s) scout, so he’s back there scrambling. I’ll go bother him so it makes him mad.”

Wembanyama popped up on the Spurs injury report on Saturday night. And given the high-profile Achilles injuries to players like former King Tyrese Haliburton and Jason Tatum, calf injuries have not been taken lightly throughout the league.

The Spurs with the French sensation sidelined went with veteran Luke Kornet, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds while making all five of his shots.

Advice from the “Iceman”

Kings general manager Scott Perry organized a chance to get some words of wisdom from an all-time great at the team’s practice in San Antonio on Saturday.

He connected with George “Iceman” Gervin, a four-time scoring champion and 14-year pro in the 1970s and 80s with the Spurs when they were in the ABA and merged into the NBA. He offered the Kings some advice amid their current five-game losing streak.

“For me, it was like a childhood dream come true. Just watching how everybody responded to Ice was incredible,” Christie said. “His spirit is just magnificent. The gift that he has, that he gave the world, and now he continues to give in his stories and his lessons — basketball’s a lot about life.”

Gervin, 73, had mentored Kevin Durant during his rookie season in 2010. Like Perry, he’s from Detroit.

“(Perry) offered up Ice and I was like, please, that would be big time,” Christie continued. “So I’m about a lot of different things. One of them is knowledge and passing it on. And there’s a connection that’s bigger than basketball. And to be great, to be really good, you have to connect on a deeper level than just basketball, and those are the moments that you begin down that rabbit hole.”

Up next

The Kings flew to Oklahoma City after the game Sunday where they’ll have two games off before playing their second road game of the season, and third overall, against the defending champion Thunder. They have a back-to-back against Memphis on Thursday before wrapping the road trip Saturday against Denver.

They return to Golden 1 Center Nov. 24 to host Minnesota at which point the Kings will have played nine games combined against the Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves.

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