Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings – Game #23
The Spurs will have to lean on Chris Paul again tonight (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will try to snap a two-game losing streak when they host the Sacramento Kings tonight in the Frost Bank Center. The two consecutive losses have the Spurs back to .500 at 11-11. The Kings, meanwhile, have a record of 10-13.
After losing to the Phoenix Suns in a contest in which the Spurs really struggled to shoot the ball, San Antonio’s defense fell apart in last night’s 139-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Considering that Victor Wembanyama sat out the contest due to lower back soreness, it’s not too much of a shock that defense was an issue with the favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award sitting on the sidelines.
The Kings are also coming off a loss last night. In Memphis, Sacramento fell to the Grizzlies by a final score of 115-110. The Kings lost even though Ja Morant got ejected and was unable to play down the stretch.
The Spurs and the Kings have already played twice this season. In both of those games, San Antonio came away victorious. The Spurs blew out the Kings on Nov. 11 and then pulled out a close win on Dec. 1 in Sacramento.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Everyone is wondering whether Victor Wembanyama will be able to return to the lineup tonight for the Spurs. Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen. It sounds like he’s more likely to return for Sunday’s game versus the New Orleans Pelicans. The good news is that it appears as if Wembanyama avoided any sort of serious injury.
The news isn’t as good for Tre Jones. After returning from a sprained ankle, Jones hurt his shoulder. His arm is currently in a sling and San Antonio expects him to be sidelined for a few weeks.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
We can confidently predict that acting head coach Mitch Johnson will go with Chris Paul at point guard, Stephon Castle at shooting guard, Julian Champagnie at small forward and Harrison Barnes at power forward. The fifth starter is more of a mystery. Last night, Johnson went with Jeremy Sochan as the starting center in place of Wembanyama. However, the coaching staff may switch things up after San Antonio’s poor defensive performance.
If Sochan doesn’t start at center, expect it to be either Zach Collins or Charles Bassey.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Kings
The Kings are favored by six points and the over/under is 228 points. Even though this is a battle of two teams on a back-to-back, the smart money is on the over. The Spurs will likely struggle on defense without Victor Wembanyama and both teams have enough offensive firepower to put a lot of points on the board.