Hield Scores 26, Helps Kings End 11-Game Skid In San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 26 points and the Sacramento Kings snapped an 11-game skid in San Antonio, holding on in the fourth quarter and beating the Spurs 113-106 Sunday night.
Willie Cauley-Stein added 17 points and all of Sacramento's starters scored in double figures. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 15 points off the bench.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 17 rebounds as San Antonio lost for the third time in six games. DeMar DeRozan finished with 16 points and Rudy Gay had 18. The Spurs remained seventh in the Western Conference.
Corey Brewer made a pair of free throws to give Sacramento its largest lead at 101-89 with 7:19 remaining. San Antonio failed to score in the final 2 minutes, 53 seconds after DeRozan made a floating jumper that gave the Spurs a 106-105 lead.
The Kings had lost two straight and were playing less than 24 hours after being eliminated from the postseason in a loss to Houston on Saturday afternoon. That loss clinched the Spurs' 22nd straight postseason appearance.
San Antonio came out listless following the playoff clincher.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was ejected with 9:04 remaining in the third quarter after charging onto the court to berate official Tyler Ford for an out-of-bounds call on Derrick White. On the previous possession, Ford called White for an offensive foul after a Kings player leapt onto him attempting to block a 3-pointer by Bryn Forbes. Ford then called the ball out of bounds against the Spurs when White stripped Harrison Barnes under the basket and the ball appeared to roll off Barnes' leg. Popovich immediately charged the court, drawing the first technical, and then kept yelling at Ford, earning his second.
The technical temporarily invigorated the listless Spurs, who went on a 10-7 run after Hield made two free throws following the ejection.
Aldridge had 18 points in the first quarter on 8-for-12 shooting as the Spurs built an early 10-point lead.
TIP-INS
Kings: Rookie Marvin Bagley missed the game with a stomach illness. Bagley sat after matching a season-high 10 field goals while scoring 20 points. He also made 10 field goals while scoring a season-high 32 points against Phoenix on Feb. 10. . Sacramento's last win in San Antonio came Jan. 20, 2012, as Tyreke Evans had 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 88-86 victory. The Kings have won two straight at home over the Spurs. . Sacramento had 20 assists, ending its streak of five straight games with 25-plus assists.
Spurs: Aldridge's 18 points in the first quarter were second only to the 19 he scored against Boston on March 24 for the most points in the opening period for the Spurs this season.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Houston on Tuesday night.
Spurs: Host Atlanta on Tuesday night.
