What we learned from the Spurs’ win over the Kings

Before the season and even into the first few games, critics have questioned the San Antonio Spurs’ four-guard starting lineup. However, through 9 games, that lineup has a +25.4 net rating in 95 minutes and has led the Spurs to a 7-2 start. The bench lineups, especially those without Victor Wembanyama, have caused the team issues. That was never more apparent than in San Antonio’s 124-109 thrashing of the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Let’s be honest about the Kings for a moment. They are a bad basketball team, perhaps not in talent, but in discipline and execution. They lose people on defense and take errant shots on offense. Yet, multiple times on Friday, they gained back ground with most of San Antonio’s starters off the floor.

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Most of San Antonio’s mistakes come from defense, where too often players, especially on the wings, overhelp on a drive or watch the ball, letting the offensive player get an open three or cut to the rim and score over the top of Luke Kornet. San Antonio’s defensive lapses were a big reason the Kings shot 49% from the field and hit 46% from three. That second unit’s defensive issues don’t flip the game against the worst in the league, but against a legitimate, deep team, it could lead to a loss.

The Spurs will take a 15-point win on the road in their first NBA Cup game. But it’s hard to come out of that game feeling overly confident about the performance. San Antonio has won seven games in a row, but over half of those have come against teams under .500. A real test awaits them on Saturday in the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs’ second unit will need to step up its defensive play if they want to compete with another Western Conference leader.

Takeaways:

Devin Vassell is one of the most important players on the Spurs. Vassell is shooting 34.1% from three this season, well below his usual average, which has hurt San Antonio’s offense. When he’s hitting shots, like he did against Sacramento, the offense opens up a ton for the guards and Wembanyama to dominate the paint. Vassell had 19 points, hitting 5 of his 6 threes on Friday. His off-ball defense was solid,…

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Publish date : 2026-11-07 16:15:00

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