The Kings defeated the Spurs in yet another close game.
With thirty seconds remaining on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, the San Antonio Spurs, leading by three points, held the ball. In the end, they were down by five. The difference was a crucial mishandle on a pass from Zach Collins to Malaki Branham with seven seconds remaining, which allowed the Kings to score the game-winning basket. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose not to discuss the incident in the aftermath, at least not in a meaningful way.
“It gets turned over sometimes,” the Hall of Famer said.
The last several seconds
Gregg Popovich of the Spurs, fuming and with smoke trailing from his ears.
With 23.1 seconds left, Monk’s three-pointer erased a Spurs advantage that had grown to five points with 57 seconds remaining. The Spurs immediately returned the ball up court, even though Victor Wembanyama was sidelined due to a right ankle sprain sustained against the Houston Rockets the previous game.
When a reporter tried to press Popovich about Branham’s critical turnover in light of the fact that San Antonio didn’t use a timeout to draw up a set play after the team ultimately lost 131-129, Popovich joked, “You got a question?”
Popovich ended the conversation by saying, “I have no idea what situation you’re talking about,” in response to the reporter bringing up the incorrect Branham pass. “I have no idea what you’re saying,” he remarked.
Another tough Spurs defeat against the Kings
The Spurs’ last meeting with the Kings was two weeks ago on Thursday, when they were defeated. The two games could just as well have been played on the same day based on how they ended. With 2:12 remaining that evening in Sacramento, the Silver-and-Black led by four points but ultimately lost 127-122.
They played well in the first quarter, and we kind of gave in throughout the second. In this most recent setback against the Kings, Popovich stated of his team, “But they came back and played real well.” I’m rather pleased with them. We accomplished a lot of nice things, but [De’Aaron] Fox kind of took over in the end like he has in the past. I’m sorry for them, but they competed and performed well. performed admirably.
Without Wemby, an already difficult struggle for a Spurs club headed to the lottery became even more difficult. After starting alongside the generational talent for the first six weeks of the season, Zach Collins moved up to the starting lineup.
“He was excellent. He worked defensively as well as offensively, according to Popovich. “Domantas Sabonis is a hard nut to crack. Since it was a difficult task for one man to complete, he gave it his all.
The NBA’s longest-tenured coach also gave backup point guard Blake Wesley credit for his continued strong play. Against Sacramento, the second-year first-round selection scored 11 points.
Better still. He was combative. His offensive confidence was evident. In defense, he also busts his butt. I felt that he performed admirably.
San Antonio maintained a winning pattern throughout the season, managing 39 assists.
We’ve had several nights where we’ve played well in terms of assists, but we still commit too many careless mistakes that end up costing us in close games. that kind of thing. They simply keep plugging away,” Popovich said.
The Spurs’ season record now stands at 13-50 after the loss.
