Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs Sacramento Kings

11/11/2024 03:00 AM

DeMar DeRozan comes to town with his newest team to take on the Spurs

A 46-39 record last season was just good enough in a deep Western Conference to net the Sacramento Kings the 9th seed and a berth in the Play-In Tournament. They're still led by De'Aron Fox and Domantis Sabonis, but injected an extra dose of leadership and playmaking in the off-season with the addition of former Spur DeMar DeRozan to their squad. While no one is picking them as a potential Finals team, there's still other boxes for them to check as their two best players enter their prime, including a shot at Sacramento first 50-win season.

Meanwhile for the Spurs, tonight is the 3rd game of a 5-game homestand for them that wraps up Friday. Devin Vassell looked sharp in his long-awaited season debut Saturday night in the loss to the Utah Jazz. His return for this homestretch is ideal for a Spurs team that has struggled to find offense in the early going this season. While it's unlikely they will reach anywhere close to Sacramento win total from last year if that's the bar for a play-in spot, Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs have plenty of their own boxes to check off.

San Antonio Spurs (4-7) vs Sacramento Kings (5-5)

November 11th 2024 | 7:00 PM CT

Watch: | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Tre Jones, ankle (OUT), Jeremy Sochan, thumb (OUT), Malaki Branham, ankle (day to day)

Kings Injuries: None

What to watch for

- Between De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento has last season's top two 4th quarter scorers in their starting lineup. How that dynamic between two players who can do extraordinary things with the ball in their hands will play out throughout the season remains to be seen, but the addition of DeRozan gives Fox someone who can create for himself out on the perimeter that takes some of the onus off himself down the stretch of close games. The two play different styles of offense, but they share a weakness when it comes to outside shooting. DeRozan has notoriously been averse to the 3 for his career, while Fox, who had his best year shooting the 3 last season, has never been shy about letting it fly. Therein could lie the foundation of San Antonio's defensive game plan tonight.

• It's been an up and down season for Victor Wembanyama as far as shooting the basketball goes, as he's hitting just 43% of his shots and 29% of his 3-pointers. The long ball has been particularily concerning, and even though Wemby did make 6 of his 9 attempts from the 3-point line in the loss to Utah, there's been murmurs from the peanut gallery (i.e. us Internet coaches!) that the 7+ footer settles for the long ball far too often and doesn't really put the sort of pressure on opposing defenses that fans sort of expect from a player his size. His 3-point attempts are up this year (from 5.5 last year to 7.1) on a lesser percentage while his free throw attempts are down (5.2 last year, 3.6 this year). With Vassell coming back and hopefully opening up the court a little bit more, perhaps Victor starts to bring those numbers more in line with last year's.
• Not many players can fill up the stat sheet the way Domantas Sabonis can. The 9th year big man, who led the NBA with 77 doubles last season and 26 triple doubles, marks that put him in historical categories, becoming just the 7th player to amass 77 double-doubles and the first since Moses Malone all the way back in the 1978-1979 season. Sabonis plays with an energy that few can match, but his defensive deficiencies are a concern. With Sabonis likely matching up on Wemby, maybe this is a game then where Wembanyama can dominate on the inside?

• Spurs rookie Stephon Castle had his best scoring game as a pro in the loss to the Jazz, notching a career-high 23 points. The performance also included the most 3s taken and made in a game for him in his young career, with a mark of 3/7 beyond the arc. The 6'5, 210 pound guard is capable of comfortably playing 3 positions, so flashes like Saturday night point to someone who could be a valuable piece for San Antonio in the long run. With Vassell coming off the bench in his first game back, the potential for Castle to remain in the starting lineup for at least a bit longer is pretty high.

• After going 6 straight games of double digit scoring, Chris Paul has now failed to reach double digits in each of the Spurs' last 3 games, going 0/6 and scoring his only 3 points at the foul line in the 1-point loss to the Jazz. Here's to hoping he can make some shots tonight, though the Kings have played solid defense to start this season.

For the Kings fan's perspective, check out The King's Herald.

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