Kings vs. Spurs watch guide: Lineups, injury report, player usage

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SAN ANTONIO -- After being eliminated from NBA playoff contention Saturday night, the Kings jump right back into the action Sunday. They'll face a tough San Antonio Spurs team on the second night of a back-to-back to finish a five-game road trip.

Sacramento received huge contributions from the quartet of De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley in Houston, but it wasn't enough. Reigning league MVP James Harden dropped a 50-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on the Kings and officially ended any chance Sacramento had of making the 2018-19 NBA playoffs.

[RELATED: How to watch Kings-Spurs online and on MyTeams app]

The Spurs looked like they were in trouble heading into the All-Star break, but they recovered with a nine-game winning streak to help secure a 22nd consecutive postseason berth. Coach Gregg Popovich has never missed the playoffs in his two-plus decades running the Spurs. The future Hall of Famer has an incredible .684 career win percentage in the regular season and five NBA championship rings. His 1,241 career victories currently rank third all time.

Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports California begins at 3:30 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 4. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.

The Kings return home for a rematch against the Rockets on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center. They'll face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at home before finishing the campaign with games against the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers.

Line

Spurs by 10.5

Projected Lineups

Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Harrison Barnes
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein

Spurs
PG Derrick White
SG Bryn Forbes
SF DeMar DeRozan
PF LaMarcus Aldridge
C Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report

Kings 
PF Marvin Bagley III (stomach illness) out, C Harry Giles (thigh bruise) out.

Spurs
PG Dejounte Murray (knee) out.

Rotation Outlook

Kings

Dave Joerger's group was eliminated from playoff contention in game 76 of the regular season. It was the latest the team has faced elimination in a season in over a decade. With 37 wins, the Kings have already shown a 10-game improvement over last season and still have an outside shot at finishing the year over the .500 mark.

After dropping in 20 points and 12 rebounds against the Rockets on Saturday, Bagley has a stomach ailment and will not play. Expect Nemanja Bjelica to get the start and for Kosta Koufos to eat some minutes on the frontline as well.

Harry Giles is out for a sixth consecutive game with a thigh contusion.

Spurs

Popovich somehow righted the ship after a near collapse in the middle of the season for San Antonio. He relies heavily on his veterans, but second-year point guard Derrick White has put together a nice season in Dejounte Murray's absence.

The Spurs rank 17th in points per game at 111.9, but their offensive rating is seventh. They are an efficient group that leads the league in the fewest turnovers and fewest fouls. They also are the No. 1 overall team in 3-point percentage, knocking down 39.6 percent from long range on the season.

[RELATED: Kings set new goal of finishing season over .500, with playoff hopes over]

DeRozan and Aldridge both are averaging over 21 points per game for San Antonio. Veterans Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills provide the punch off the bench.

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