The visiting San Antonio Spurs were outclassed 122-102 by Sacramento Kings on Saturday as Buddy Hield scored 31 points off the bench and lead Sacramento to their sixth victory in eight games.
With seven rebounds, Harrison Barnes scored 25 points. De'Aaron Fox made 13 points while Nemanja Bjelica and Kent Bazemore scored 15 points each.
Solid Sacramento
DeMar DeRozan scored 14 points in 30 minutes before being ejected midway through the fourth quarter as the Spurs dropped to 0-4 on an eight-game road trip. Dejounte Murray had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for San Antonio. Bryn Forbes scored 16 points, Derrick White added 13 off the bench and LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Sacramento was a solid 19 of 35 from 3-point range and has made 38 over the past two games. The Kings shot 52.3 percent overall. The Spurs shot 50.6 percent from the field but were just seven of 24 from 3-point range.
Forbes scored eight straight points on two 3-pointers and an outside jumper to give the Spurs a 76-70 lead with 5:48 left in the third quarter. The Kings dominated the rest of the quarter with a 19-2 surge, including the final 15 points. The score was tied at 78 when Hield made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:26 left. Cory Joseph scored on a buzzer-beating putback to make it 89-78 entering the final period.
Bjelica and Hield chip in
Bjelica and Hield drained 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to boost the lead to 95-82. San Antonio moved within nine on Rudy Gay's three-point play with 9:48 remaining before Hield connected on a 3-pointer and Giles converted a three-point play to give the Kings a 101-86 advantage.
DeRozan was ejected for vehemently contesting a foul call and Barnes made both technical shots and two free throws to give Sacramento a 107-90 with 6:14 left. The Spurs never threatened again while falling to 8-18 on the road. Hield scored 10 points as Sacramento led 52-49 at the break.
(With inputs from agencies)
