Spurs Bury Kings 126-97 and Lock In a Three-Guard Look for Opening Night
San Antonio led by 34 at halftime in its preseason finale, and coach Mitch Johnson confirmed the Fox–Castle–Harper backcourt will start Tuesday's opener against Oklahoma City.
The San Antonio Spurs closed their preseason with a statement, routing the Sacramento Kings 126-97 at Frost Bank Center on Friday night — and the bigger news came after the final buzzer, when coach Mitch Johnson confirmed his starting five for opening night.
Over by halftime
San Antonio led 71-37 at the break, per Yahoo Sports, and never let Sacramento back in. The Spurs shot 58% from the floor, hit 17 three-pointers, and won the rebounding battle by a staggering 74-48, according to Fox San Antonio. Seven Spurs scored in double figures.
De'Aaron Fox poured in all 16 of his points in the first half against his former team, while Dylan Harper — quiet early at 1-for-5 — erupted for 14 straight San Antonio points in the third quarter to finish with a team-high 19. Victor Wembanyama needed only 17 minutes for 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, punctuated by a coast-to-coast dash finished with a self-tossed lob off the backboard. Keldon Johnson added 15 off the bench; Stephon Castle (13 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Devin Vassell (12) rounded out the balance.
For Sacramento, Zach LaVine led with 20 points, Ben Simmons posted 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Domantas Sabonis had 14 and 10 — but the Kings finished as the NBA's only winless team of the preseason.
The real headline: the starting five
Johnson confirmed that Fox, Castle, Harper, Vassell and Wembanyama will start Tuesday's opener at home against Oklahoma City — a three-guard group that shared the floor for only about 25 minutes all of last season, when Fox missed time with hamstring trouble. Fox said the unit's shooting will largely determine how good it can be. San Antonio enters the season essentially healthy, with newcomer Tobias Harris (calf strain) the lone absence, and finished the preseason 2-3 after dropping its first three.
Sacramento opens against the Los Angeles Clippers.