The San Antonio Spurs hope to have superstar Victor Wembanyama back in the fold as they try to snap a two-game losing streak while hosting the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
It will be the second game of a back-to-back set for both teams.
The Spurs lost at home to the Chicago Bulls 139-124 on Thursday while playing without Wembanyama, who was sidelined due to a sore back. Sacramento fell 115-110 on the road to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Kings’ third defeat in the past four games.
San Antonio was doomed by a ragged first half in which it allowed 73 points and trailed by 16 at halftime. The Spurs clawed back within eight points with 3:18 remaining but then surrendered nine straight points while running out of gas and time.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 28 points off the bench, and Jeremy Sochan amassed 16 points and 14 rebounds. San Antonio, which never led, dropped its third game in its past four contests.
“Lethargic would be the word — just a lack of energy in the early going,” Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “Once we got going, we made a game of it. But giving up 73 points in first half and 68 points in the paint (overall) are difficult to come back from. We have to do a better job.”
Wembanyama likely will be listed as questionable for the Friday game but is expected to be back for the Spurs’ Sunday home date against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Kings fell at Memphis despite leading for much of the game and by 12 midway through the second quarter. The contest featured 11 ties and 20 lead changes.
DeMar DeRozan paced Sacramento with 26 points. Malik Monk added 23 points, and Domantas Sabonis (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Keegan Murray (11 points, 11 rebounds) each had a double-double.
Sacramento, which has dropped seven of its last nine games, led 101-98 after Monk’s jumper with 6:15 to play before allowing Memphis a 6-0 run. The Kings never saw the front again.
Sacramento was back to within a point after another Monk bucket with 3:50 left before the Grizzlies scored four straight points and held on.
Monk has moved into the starting lineup this week, and the Kings are still trying to figure out a rotation the works. They had difficulty with that on Thursday when their bench was outscored 60-15 by the Grizzlies’ reserves.
“With Malik, I just looked him in the eye and told him what I think and listened to him about how he feels about the switch to the starting lineup because I need to listen to him,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “I need to hear him out, and then I need to make the best decision, not for him, but for the team, while keeping him in mind.
“We’ve been struggling, and in the seat that I’m in I don’t get paid just to kind of sit and let it continue to happen. I throw them out there, change things up, see if it helps us out as a team. And hopefully it does.”
The Spurs have captured the first two games in the season series, including a two-point victory in Sacramento on Sunday behind Wembanyama’s first triple-double of the season (34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists).
–Field Level Media
