Shorthanded Spurs Pummeled by Sacramento Kings in 3rd Straight Loss

The San Antonio Spurs — without Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Tre Jones — fell short to the Sacramento Kings and their strong starting unit Friday evening.

Dec 6, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) and San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins (23) battle for a loose ball during the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO — Friday evening's injury report listed three names, all of whom had missed game action in recent untimely fashion, yet it was another absence that delivered the biggest surprise.

Without Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Tre Jones — the former pair sidelined with soreness and injury management and the latter with a more serious shoulder sprain — the San Antonio Spurs took Frost Bank Center once again for their third contest in four days.

The result? A flat offensive performance in what ultimately turned out to be a 140-113 blowout loss to the Sacramento Kings in DeMar DeRozan's second game back in San Antonio of the season.

Zach Collins got the start in Wembanyama's absence, but with 9:07 remaining in the second quarter, he saw his way out after a scuffle with an official. Collins was assessed his third foul of the evening before some arrant remarks landed him an ejection, and San Antonio went the rest of the way with Bassey in the paint.

Perhaps the lone bright spot of the evening for the Spurs offensively, beside the occasional burst of energy brought from Keldon Johnson, was Julian Champagnie. The third-year forward got the scoring started early with a pair of 3-pointers and finished the game with a pair of personal accolades.

Champagnie, who's started every game he's played in this season, tallied 30 points on 6-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc, marking career highs in both categories. During San Antonio's late comeback bid, he was the one creating the most movement, but wasn't enough to fuel a victory.

Julian Champagnie just hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night. He's up to 27 points on 6-for-11 shooting from deep — both career highs. #PorVida

— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) December 7, 2024

Chris Paul notched a near triple double, finishing with 11 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds on the evening, while Jeremy Sochan and Stephon Castle combined for 25 points in Sochan's third game back from a fractured thumb.

By halftime, the Spurs were down 69-59, and never closer than three points away midway through the third quarter, largely due to Sacramento's top heavy performance.

Off the bench, Kevin Huerter was the only King in double figures by time the visitors' win was all-but official with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Sacramento's starters combined for 106 points led by DeRozan's 23.

Overall, San Antonio's defense was outmatched without Wembanyama in the picture, and its offense struggled to find a rhythm outside of Champagnie with both Vassell and Jones on the sideline.

With the loss, San Antonio falls to 11-12 on the season and below .500 for the first time since it crossed the threshold on Nov. 21. Its third straight loss also marks the longest losing streak of the season thus far.

Next up is another home test Sunday evening against the New Orleans Pelicans, where the Spurs will look to break even once again. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Central.

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