De’Aaron Fox didn’t have a fun time back in Sacramento (Photo via X)
In De’Aaron Fox’s return to Sacramento, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t find much success. The Kings never trailed in the second half on their way to a 127-109 victory. San Antonio’s record dropped to 26-35 with the loss.
The Spurs got off to a good start in Sacramento. At the end of the first quarter, the good guys had a 26-20 lead. Unfortunately, the Kings went on a 27-8 run in the second quarter to blow the game open. After halftime, San Antonio failed to put together a sustained run.
All in all, there weren’t many positives to take away from this affair. Fox didn’t play well in his homecoming and the Spurs weren’t able to compete.
Stats: Spurs at Kings
spurs kings grades
Spurs at Kings – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
Yeah, no, this wasn’t the type of outing Fox hoped to have in his return to Sacramento. He hit his first shot but then struggled mightily after that. The Kings deserve some credit for their defense but Fox was also missing open shots. Passing-wise, he was okay but was sometimes slow to hit open teammates. He took adequately good care of the ball, however Fox could have been better on the defensive end. Overall, Fox hasn’t played well lately and isn’t doing a whole lot to help San Antonio win games.
Grade: D+
Devin Vassell
The good: Defensively, I liked a lot of what I saw from Vassell. This is two straight games where he looks like an above average perimeter defender. His shot-selection was decent and he finished the game without a turnover. The bad: A game after scoring a career-high 37 points, Vassell was back to struggling with his outside shot. Without a trustworthy jumper, he doesn’t do enough else to really be an impactful player.
Grade: C
Chris Paul
Offensively, Paul was mostly fine. He hit a trio of three-pointers, handed out six assists and only turned it over once. The Kings left him quite a bit so a few more shot attempts would have been justified. Defensively, Paul gave effort but it was difficult for the Spurs to hide him — particularly in rotations.
Grade: C+
Harrison Barnes
Barnes did good work on the offensive end. He hit four three-pointers and was decisive with his decisions. Defensively, Barnes didn’t look to be fully locked in. He didn’t do much work on the glass, his one-on-one D was lacking and he was late to help. Barnes had extra pep in his step but he wasn’t able to move the needle as much as he would have liked.
Grade: B-
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo wasn’t terrible but he was more of a liability than an asset on this night. Offensively, he got in the way too often and the Kings only paid minimal attention to him. Defensively, he was giving good effort but the Kings were able to score over and around him. Biyombo’s work on the defensive glass also left a lot to be desired.
Grade: C-
Stephon Castle
It’s starting to sound like a broken record at this point but Castle’s play was the silver lining for the Spurs. He shot well from all locations on his way to 25 points in 26 minutes. The only reason he didn’t do even more is he battled foul trouble and ended up fouling out. On offense, Castle was simply a beast. His drives to the basket were fierce and he showed off better than normal touch. When his perimeter shots are finding the net, he’s almost impossible to stop. His playmaking was a plus and he limited his mistakes. Castle’s defense wasn’t especially notable but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. He was scrapping on that end — sometimes too much, in fact.
Grade: A-
Jeremy Sochan
The Spurs looked better when Sochan was on the court. He was the team’s best rebounder and he played with the proper amount of physicality. He had teammates shortcutting possessions but Sochan was reliably putting his body on the line in an attempt to make plays. I liked a majority of what I saw from him on the offensive end. If anything he could have been more aggressive on that end.
Grade: B+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson continues to play well off the bench. His three-point stroke looks cleaner than it has all season. His decision-making has been smart and his miscues are coming less and less often. I liked his effort on the glass and on the defensive end. Johnson’s shortcoming against the Kings was his lack of driving the ball to the hoop. That has been his bread and butter lately but it was missing in action in Sacramento.
Grade: B
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie did pretty good on the defensive end but he missed both of his three-point attempts and didn’t make a shot from the field in his 12 minutes of play.
Grade: C
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili re-entered the rotation and he did well. With the Kings using big lineups at times, his ability to stretch the floor and hit threes was useful. Mamu looked undersized on defense at times but he gave it his all and survived on that end. In retrospect, he probably would have helped the cause if he had been given more minutes.
Grade: B
Mitch Johnson
Johnson was trying different strategies and lineups but he couldn’t find a working solution to compete against the Kings. Fox got some good shots but the playcalling probably could have been better. The rotation wasn’t horrible but it sometimes lacked rhyme and reason.
Grade: C-