The streak is over. After posting five straight victories, the Kings lacked energy early and the San Antonio Spurs made them pay.
From the opening tip, the Spurs were the aggressors. They hit their shots, got out on the break and outplayed the Kings in a big game. Sacramento trailed by 16 at the half and missed too many open looks in the third to close the gap.
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Led by veterans DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay, the Spurs hit their shots, rebounded the ball and held the Kings in check to come away with the 120-106 victory at AT&T Center.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings struggle in San Antonio to fall to 22-26 on the season.
Fox gone wrong
There is a good chance that Fox is named the Western Conference Player of the Month in the coming days, but it won’t be for his performance against the Spurs.
NBA
Fox couldn’t buy a bucket early, finishing the first half with just four points, all of which came at the free throw line.
With the Kings having a shot to climb back into the game in the fourth, Fox missed some wide open looks. He finished with 20 points on 7-for-18 shooting. He added just four assists and turned the ball over four times in the loss.
For one of the few games this season, Fox didn’t have it and it cost the Kings.
Hot and Cold
This was a big game for the Kings and they needed all hands on deck. Like he has in big games in the past, Buddy Hield struggled to make an impact.
Starting at the wing, Hield missed all eight of his shots in the first half, including six from 3-point range. He couldn’t find the basket and the Spurs built a big lead off his misses.
Hield caught fire in the third, but the damage was done. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting, with most of those points coming when the game was already lost.
Welcome to the squad
Delon Wright had a modest start in a Kings uniform, scoring a combined six points in his first two games with the club. He looked more comfortable in game No. 3.
After dropping six points in the first quarter, the veteran point guard dropped in back-to-back triples to open the second quarter on his way to a 14 point first half.
Wright helped keep the Kings early in the game while Fox and Hield struggled to find the basket. He finished the night with 16 points, three assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes.