San Antonio Basketball Was in Full Effect Last Night.

Despite Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge sitting for rest, the Spurs were able to mount a comeback and beat the Sacramento Kings, 114-104.

San Antonio basketball was in full effect last night.

It wasn’t a typical – Kawhi Leonard takes over in the fourth quarter and the Spurs win – kind of Spurs basketball. It was more of a – Spurs never give up, even if they’re down 28 – kind of Spurs basketball.

The Spurs NEVER give up, no matter who's on the court, which is why the Spurs have had 18 consecutive seasons with 50+ wins. #InPopWeTrust pic.twitter.com/JMsbQaWOnN

— Air Alamo (@AirAlamo) March 9, 2017

Without the services of MVP candidate Leonard, along with the second-best player Aldridge, the Spurs were down 37-15 after the first quarter (to the Kings).

At one point, the Spurs were down 59-31, a 28-point deficit. Most other teams would have accepted the game as a loss, and moved on to the next game. However, this game was played in San Antonio, against arguably the most resilient team in the modern era.

"It was a real character test," said Patty Mills of the Spurs. "We could have laid down and gotten ready for tomorrow (@ OKC)."

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) March 9, 2017

Instead of giving up, the Spurs rallied, holding the Kings to 23 points in the third quarter, and a game-low 18 points in the fourth quarter. On the other hand, the Spurs scored 34 in the third quarter, and 32 points in the fourth quarter.

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The Spurs were led in scoring by none other than veteran Manu Ginobli, who had 19 points on 7/15 shooting, along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Patty Mills was also vital in that fourth quarter, as he had 17 points on 6/9 shooting, with 10 assists and one steal.

David Lee, who led the team in minutes with 30, finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Outside the obvious hustle, this game came down to ball movement. The Kings built a lead on open three point shots, but weren’t exactly moving the ball well. The Spurs were deflated in that first quarter, but found a rhythm afterwards.

In the end, the Kings ended up with 20 total assists, while the Spurs had 33.

The Spurs collected 33 assists tonight.

That makes San Antonio a perfect 16-0 when tallying 28 or more assists in a game this season.

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) March 9, 2017

With a win, not only did the Spurs extend their winning streak to nine games (tied for longest of the season), they won their 50th game of the season. The Spurs, under Gregg Popovich, have won at least 50 games in 18 consecutive seasons.

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• Is Gregg Popovich hiding Luka Samanic as a secret weapon?
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If that stat does not impress you, I’m not sure what will.

This was also a character building game for the role players. It proved that they are ready to battle on a moment’s notice, and being down early in the game isn’t something that bothers them.

If this win had one negative, it would be it’s impact on Leonard’s MVP race. The Spurs proved that they can win a basketball game without their TWO best players on the floor. That doesn’t exactly bode well when you’re making the case of “most valuable player” to their team.

However, i’m hopeful that voters will acknowledge this game was against the Kings, who are also without their two best players.

Leonard will have his chance to bolster his MVP stock tonight, as the Spurs head to Oklahoma City to battle Mr. Triple Double himself, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.