Victor Wembanyama Shines in Kings' 127-125 Loss to Spurs

The Sacramento Kings fell short again against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

December 1, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings needed a spark heading into Sunday's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs after losing five of their last six. Starting Malik Monk for the first time in his Sacramento tenure was a surefire way to come out of the gates blazing, but that heat did not last long.

The Kings outscored the Spurs 42 to 28 in the first quarter but lost the second and fourth quarters by seven points each. Despite having two of the best clutch time performers in the NBA with De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan, the Kings have struggled to close out games recently.

Sacramento held as much as a 17-point lead, but could not stop the Spurs as they got rolling for their comeback.

Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama was the highlight of the night, posting his first triple-double of the season and third of his career. Wemby went for 34 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 blocks, a stellar performance that included the game-sealing offensive rebound over Kings center Domantas Sabonis.

The Spurs shot 23-46 (50%) from three-point range on Sunday night, compared to Sacramento's 12-32 (37.5%). The Kings beat or tied the Spurs in nearly every major statistical category, but just could not stop the Spurs from hitting their shots.

Sunday's two-point loss to San Antonio is just brutal, as the Kings have now lost six of their last seven to drop their record to 9-12 on the season. The next chance for Sacramento to get back in the win column will be Tuesday against the Houston Rockets.

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