Spurs Dethrone Kings in Sacramento, 108-102

Are Manu and Jack available for this game? by spursfan87
Manu yes, Jack no. by RG8907
What's going on with Captain Jack? I just checked out his twitter handle, @DaTrillStak5, and there's been activity before and after this game. At noon he tweeted "We Workin!!! and linked to a pic of him ‘workin.' Personal reasons? Maybe he is getting traded. I suppose his entourage could be tweeting while Jack is dealing with personal issues, but if so, someone should tell them to cut it out. This is confusing and bordering on unprofessional.

Nice 3 pointer by that bald guy. by kenshinsama
Manu is aggressive today. I would say he's knocking off the rust, but he's Manu. by Noah J
Manu looked lively early on in this one. He began the game with a 3-pointer and just looked frisky in general. It seems very apparent that Pop probably rested him a few games more than Ginobili would have preferred. I'm all for it. As most of you realize, the Spurs are a better team with a healthy Manu. Anything that Pop can do to give Manu the best chance at being healthy in the playoffs is fine by me.

4 for 22...ouchie. by SpursCupcake
The Spurs led 28-19 after one quarter. The Kings shot 4 for 22 but their 9 of 10 free-throws kept them in the game. Unfortunately, the questionable officiating did not end with the first quarter. To be fair, the officiating was terrible for both sides, so it was almost even, in the worst way possible.

I hate to sound mean, but I'd like Diaw a lot better if he would lose some weight. His weight hurts his speed and lift. by SpursBenchOverStarters
It's not mean so please feel free to say it as often as you would like. Boris Diaw is a professional basketball player. It's ridiculous that he's carrying extra pounds. Earlier in the season, I assumed he would play himself into shape during the season and would have slimmed down by now. How many calories is this guy consuming each day? He makes Lamar Odom's physical state seem reasonable.

Go home Jimmer, you're drunk. by Noah J
In the second quarter, drunk Jimmer caught fire and his ten points allowed the Kings to keep pace. It was a ridiculous looking 10 points. You could lose Jimmer in the lights.

Timmeh quarterback fail #2 by Pnk.Dot
The Spurs did help the Kings keep up by making sloppy turnovers. At the beginning of the season, I recall Tim's full court passes connecting most of the time. Elliott would talk about the funky spin Tim put on the ball and we'd all have a big laugh. Since the midpoint of the season, these full court heaves have not been as successful. I think it must now make the scouting report because every time he throws it, the other team seems to be waiting for it. It might be time for Tim to retire that outlet.

...Duncan still thinks it is the All Star game. by spursfan87
He spotted up in the corner and took a 3-pointer. Time was winding down but it was in no way a desperation heave. And really, there was no reason for Tim to spot up in the deep corner. It was an odd play for sure. Oh, and Tim barley grazed the bottom of the rim. That didn't help.

In addition to his questionable 3-pointer, Tim had a rough game offensively but, as always, found ways to contribute. He finished with 9 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Cousins is the biggest knucklehead in the NBA nowadays. by LatinD
He really is. I think he's become more insane since he was drafted, which just defies conventional wisdom. He constantly seems one bad call away from losing it. The guy spent most of his minutes intentionally fouling Tim. He was pushing Tim and hitting him with quick elbows the entire game. The officials missed most of them, but did notice him fouling everyone else on the court. Cousins rightfully spent most of the game in foul trouble.

Heh, the Spurs escaped with a 9 point lead :) by fusion10
The Spurs entered halftime with a 9 point lead, meaning they tied the Kings in the second quarter. The Spurs looked sloppy and drunk Jimmer made shots. That combo led to a 22-22 second quarter tie.

I like that there's been no real signs of rust coming off the break. by HtownSteelerFan
I don't know. I thought the Spurs looked fairly rusty throughout the game. They committed 17 turnovers and I thought their fouling was at least partly due to the extended break. They just seemed off and a step slow to me. It just wasn't a crisp performance by the Spurs. However, I will say that the amount of rust that the officials put on during the break blew both teams away.

Textbook defense by the Kings right there...and by textbook I mean they just stood immobile like a bunch of books. by Chilai
This gets my "LOL of the Night." I think I'm going to add the "LOL of the Night" award to these recaps. The Kings play like the Clippers played before they landed Chris Paul. It's essentially a pickup game mixed with a street fight. They run and gun, they throw the ball all over the place and they take some crazy shots. They also play textbook defense, as defined by Chilai.

The entire Kings team just seems overly emotional and kinda whiny. I mean, fans of other teams might think that could also be said of the spurs, but I don't know for sure, cause I don't associate with those types of people. by jacob.t.harrington
Yep, the Kings are a moody bunch led by the temperamental Demarcus Cousins. You know how the Pop often gives Tim credit for developing the culture that the Spurs now enjoy? That's what Demarcus is doing to this Kings team, but in the opposite direction.

Neal is sure not NAILING those 3s in this game. by kenshinsama
No, but luckily Danny "Big" Green was finding the bottom of the net from distance. While Neal missed all four of his 3-pointers, Danny made five of his eight finishing with a very helpful 21 points.

This game just seems so bleh, and we've scored 83. by Noah J
At the end of the third quarter, the Spurs led 83-74. 83 points looks good, but Noah J was correct in describing the Spurs' performance as ‘bleh.' As I mentioned before, it was a little sloppy and far from crisp. The third quarter was also a tie, 33-33, so the Spurs carried their nine point lead from the first into the fourth quarter.

What is this?? I don't even.... by SpursCupcake
Allow me to explain. The fourth quarter was confusing. First, the Kings made a comeback cutting the nine point lead to four. Then the Spurs went on a run extending the lead to 11. It seemed like the game was over, but then the Kings came back again, getting within six this time. The Spurs answered and led by 13 with 4:09 remaining, at which point I was really sure it was over, but the Kings had one last run in them. Tyreke made a layup, Marcus Thornton hit two 3-pointers in a row and then made a fast break layup to cut the lead to three, 103-100, with 55 seconds left.

That's 30 for French Fries. by kenshinsama
Tony scored his 30^th point in the biggest play of the game. I should note the Spurs had three huge offensive rebounds in the final minute of the game. Not bad for the team that's dead last in Offensive Rebounding Rate. Tony's last bucket was set up by an offensive rebound by that bald guy, Manu Ginobili. Manu kicked the ball out to Tony and the Kings scrambled to match-up.

In this disjointed play, Demarcus Cousins found himself matched up with Tony. For some inexplicable reason, Cousins decided to guard Tony 30 feet away from the basket. Tony quickly drove by Demarcus, got to the rim and used his body to protect his layup that essentially put the game out of reach. It's fitting that the game was decided by a knucklehead play from Demarcus and a fantastic finish by Tony.

Tony was the Spurs' MVP of the game. Despite turning the ball over seven times, his 30 points and 11 assists are what allowed the Spurs to improve their Rodeo Road Trip record to an impressive 5-1.