I get it: when people think of the most cursed NBA franchises of all time, the Sacramento Kings are at the top of mind. No one can blame them. Never forget how Mike Bibby ate an elbow to the face from Kobe Bryant, and was called for a blocking foul in Game 6, or how they picked Marvin Bagley over Luka Dončić. (Although, there is also the Phoenix Suns, who have been hosed by luck, and a lot of it started when they lost the coin flip, which had they won, would’ve allowed them to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.)
Additionally, the poor fans in Sacramento have endured painful years leading to nowhere. At some point, they started going to the games and tuning into their broadcast with the intention of watching the other team. What else could it be?
Nonetheless, it was another San Antonio Spurs road adventure, and bless them. These Pacific Coast weekday games with a 9 PM or later tipoff times are rough on lot of their supporters back in Central Daylight Time (why is that still a thing again?) who have to work early in the morning, and they came out with the intention to break spirits by turning it into a slaughter before the first quarter ended.
Russell Westbrook passed Steve Nash for fifth all-time in NBA assists, which is a huge deal, but it felt like an afterthought. I was nearly expecting by that point for the Spurs to yell at them to get off the court while they waited for their next opponent, like some savage scene at LA Fitness.
Some of the Kings’ efforts on loose balls or to close out to shooters were so bad that it had one questioning if the incognito tank was in full effect. As we all know, sometimes, you have to do what you have to do; this upcoming draft is supposedly deeper than the Atlantic, with great talent at the top.
The Spurs set a season high in assists with 41, plus another franchise record (more on that below), and they have a few tune-ups like this left on the schedule, which means they’ll have just as many opportunities to surpass that mark (the Miami Heat and New York Knicks tied for the most assists in a game this season with 44), as well as keep finding that perfect form as they prepare for their first playoffs appearance since 2019.