Preview and Prediction: San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings
Lonnie Walker IV is ready for his encore (Photo via Twitter)
After their most exciting game of the season, a 135-133 double-overtime victory, the San Antonio Spurs (8-14) will look to extend their winning streak to two games and their home winning streak to three games tonight against the Sacramento Kings (8-12). The Kings have lost two straight games and three straight on the road.
LaMarcus Aldridge Injury Update
Coming into the day, LaMarcus Aldridge was listed as questionable. But today, the Spurs have upgraded his status to available. Thus, not only is it safe to say Aldridge will play, it’s safe to say he will start.
Aldridge had missed the last two games with a thigh injury. He had an MRI but San Antonio was hopeful that he wouldn’t be out long — and that appears to be the case.
Considering the Spurs don’t play again until December 12th, San Antonio must be confident that Aldridge is healthy or else they would let him sit one more game to take advantage of the break in action.
What to Expect from Lonnie Walker IV
After Lonnie Walker IV’s breakthrough performance versus the Houston Rockets in which he led the Spurs with 28 points, all eyes in South Texas are on what he’ll do next.
While he was surely come off the bench against the Kings, he will undoubtedly be in the rotation. If he’s not, the home fans at the AT&T Center will be unruly.
Walker has scored 52 points in his last 65 minutes so the hope is that he can keep scoring at a high rate tonight against Sacramento. Ultimately, if he can earn a starting gig, that’d likely be very helpful in terms of balancing the roster and adding more defense to the starting unit.
Can Jakob Poeltl Keep It Up?
With Aldridge out against the Rockets, Jakob Poeltl played a career-high 41 minutes and he delivered in a big way, especially on the defensive end. He finished with career-highs in rebounds (15) and blocks (5), while chipping in six points and five assists.
In the first 14 games of the season, Poeltl had eight blocks. In the last eight games, he has 20 blocks. If he can keep producing, he should continue to make a big impact — whether that’s starting next to Aldridge or coming off the bench.
Since the Kings only play one true big man at a time, Poeltl is more likely than not to play behind Aldridge tonight. If that happens, expect Rudy Gay to start his fourth straight game.
Spurs vs. Kings – Prediction
Oddsmakers see the Spurs beating the Kings by a final score of 110-105. That sounds close to what should be expected, although San Antonio’s offense could be explosive since they got an extra day of rest.
San Antonio Spurs – 118
Sacramento Kings – 109