Following a disconcerting pair of opening losses, the Spurs are getting a couple of ‘get right’ games thrown at them on their way back to .500 and beyond.
After pulling themselves out of the winless column against the already banged-up Dallas Mavericks, the basketball gods are serving them up another meatball of a matchup in the Sacramento Kings.
In the recent past, the Kings were briefly getting the better of San Antonio teams for the first time since the turn of the millennium, kept at the edges
of the postseason picture by a point-happy offense that made up for defensive flaws.
They were a playoff/play-in team, free from the shackles of the lengthy playoff drought they’d finally quenched.
Not so any longer.
Tired of a slowly and steadily declining win total, the Kings have opted to tear it all down. Or, at least, that’s what I think they’re doing. It’s just so hard to tell sometimes.
Either way (sample size disclaimers attached), the Kings are looking *really* bad.
Through three games, the Kings are: last in Player Impact Estimate, Blocks, and Assists, 29th in +/- and Net Rating, 28th in Points Scored and Points Allowed, 27th in Defensive Rating, and 26th in Opponent Field Goals Made.
Yeah, it’s just three games. But the teams that torched them were the Trailblazers (understandable) and the recently gutted Clippers and Grizzlies (uh-oh).
My guess is that if the Kings and Spurs had swapped schedules, the Spurs would be undefeated, and the Kings would be last in every category.
So, if you’re hoping for a competitive spectacle, you should probably watch something else. In fact, if there’s a game you’d like to be able to skip out on, I highly recommend this one.
If, on the other hand, you’ve had a rough week already and you could really use a blowout win, this will probably serve as a spectacular little sweet treat.
Especially if De’Aaron Fox goes off on his former team — which seems likely against a Sacramento backcourt that is very thin on guard talent for the first time in years.
In any case, here’s hoping that this game ends up being the ‘closer to .500’ treat that we all hope it is, as opposed to the ‘Spurs didn’t take them seriously’ trick that it very well could be, on the first leg of San Antonio’s 2nd back-to-back of the season.
Enjoy as approved by responsible adults, and don’t forget to check for needles in your apples! (I’ve really got to chill with the metaphors)
Sacramento Kings (0-3) at San Antonio Spurs (1-2)
October 27, 2026 | 7 p.m. CT
Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Tobias Harris: Day-to-Day (Calf), Jayden Quaintance – Out (Knee)
Kings Injuries: Keegan Murray: Day-to-Day (Ankle), Ben Simmons: Out (Achilles), Dylan Cardwell – Out (Calf), Maxime Raynaud – Out (Knee)
