The Spurs got off to a slow start tonight in Sacramento, but they took the lead late and withstood a crucial run from Demar DeRozan and De’Aaron Fox to win a physically demanding away contest. Victor Wembanyama was the star, but his supporting cast played well enough to help the Silver and Blacks to a second-half surge and a comfortable win.

Victor had another triple-double and Devin Vassell had his best game after returning from injury, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter and hitting some crucial shots. Chris Paul also made plays in the final minutes as the Spurs had to overcome a mid-range shot from Demar DeRozan in the fourth quarter that kept the Kings in the contest despite the Spurs’ late push. It was a close, hard-fought game that helps build team cohesion and it can only be a good sign as the Spurs travel to Phoenix on Tuesday to try and secure a spot in the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup.

Observations

• Jacob Tobey seemed pretty awkward in the broadcast booth at the start of the season, but less than a quarter of the way into his first year, he seems to have settled in and his relationship with Sean and the rest of the crew seems comfortable. He’ll be fine.
• Malik Monk was in the Kings’ starting lineup and made an immediate impact.
• When Victor took a break in the first quarter, he was replaced by Charles Bassey, instead of Zach Collins, who is his usual replacement. Bassey got into foul trouble and didn’t look good on offense, so he may not be the answer. In the third quarter, Zach finally got into the game and was doing well.
• DeRozan is the master of drawing fouls from players who should know better. It’s truly amazing how he can be locked in a penalty area and still cause a foul. It’s magical.
• The Spurs defense showed no chance in the first quarter as the Kings led 42-28 after 12 minutes.
• Tre Jones is finally getting back into the rhythm after being sidelined with injury and has looked a little lethargic since his return. Unfortunately, he had to leave the game after a hard illegal shield from Sabonis.
• Julian Champagnie on a $3 million contract has to be one of the league’s biggest bargains.
• Spurs were missing so many bunnies that it almost felt like Easter. Or so. It looked like they might catch up in the second quarter as they turned up the defensive dial and found themselves trailing 58-65 at halftime as they failed to take full advantage of the opportunities created by the defense.
• The Spurs looked dead when they came out of the locker room, prompting Coach Johnson to call a short timeout to keep the score from getting out of hand. The Spurs responded and took the lead for the first time midway through the third period, 79:77.
• Isaac Jones gave the Kings a huge boost as they finished the third quarter strong and led 97-92 after three quarters.
• The Kings went crazy in the fourth period, putting the Spurs in the bonus three minutes into the quarter. Sabonis almost scored his sixth goal by pushing Wemby into Fox with five minutes left, but somehow the decision was reversed in a challenge.
• Demar DeRozan took control of the game late for the Kings and stopped the Spurs from running away as it neared the final seconds. A triple from Chris Paul seemed to put the game on ice with 20 seconds left, but the Kings kept coming back as Monk’s triple brought them within two points with 11 seconds left.
• A missed free throw from Keldon Johnson added to the drama, but he somehow caught his own miss, ending the drama as Chris Paul hit two free throws and the Spurs won 127-125 after Fox’s meaningless buzzer made it three.

The Spurs are just staying close to the play-in range, but they face the Suns on Tuesday night in what could be the Spurs’ biggest game in several seasons. San Antonio has not made the playoffs since the 2018-2019 season and entered the play-in tournament in 2022. If the Spurs can advance to the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup, it could be a valuable learning experience for the young players about playing under pressure. Therefore, Tuesday’s game is definitely a must-see for Spurs fans.