San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings: Recap, highlights and more

The San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings battled in a preseason game on Monday, Oct. 2.

On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings went head-to-head in their first preseason game of 2017. This provided a fresh look at both teams, as they get ready for the regular season.

The Spurs looked to make an impression on the first night of the preseason. That included new signings Joffrey Lauvergne and Brandon Paul. The third, Rudy Gay, didn’t play in what would have been his return to Sacramento.

What did this game reveal for the Spurs? Were there any takeaways from the 48 minutes of action? Let’s find out.

The Spurs’ starting lineup was Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol. Anderson subbed for the injured Kawhi Leonard. Murray was the question mark, as either he or Patty Mills could have started at point guard. Gregg Popovich went with the former, who struggled to defend (more on that soon), but stayed active in the second half.

Aldridge only played the first half, but stood out for his crisp and consistent shooting stroke. He knocked down a 3-pointer within the first few minutes and kept knocking down mid-range shots, looking confident throughout. It was only a preseason game, but if Monday night was a preview of Aldridge in the 2017-18 season, look for an improved season.

17 points in 15 minutes for LA. pic.twitter.com/rjU04FTASh

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 3, 2017

Lauvergne had a quiet 10 points and three rebounds. He was active around the basket and did enough to be serviceable, as he’ll certainly earn bench minutes to open the season, given the Spurs’ depth at center and power forward.

AND 1!@1JOLOLO knocks down his first points in Silver & Black pic.twitter.com/Ulq0UzIiZJ

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 3, 2017

Matt Costello provided some energy in his Spurs debut. He snagged five quick rebounds and had three points.

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• Short-handed Spurs offense to face temporary tweaks
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San Antonio, known for not making a full-fledged attempt at small-ball lineups, tried to use Amida Brimah and Joffrey Lauvergne together, along with other two-big combinations. When it wasn’t Gasol and Aldridge, this didn’t work great, including when Lauvergne and Brimah were on the court. Once the Spurs get healthy, look for them to cycle one big man through the on-court lineup.

The Kings didn’t start No. 5 overall pick, De’Aaron Fox. Going forward, it will be difficult for them to keep that up. He shredded Murray, who had trouble guarding the opposing point guards throughout the night. The Kentucky product used his athleticism to carve his way through and get to the basket with ease. We’re going to talk about this kid a lot this season.

The defense, in general, looked a bit inconsistent. An injured Leonard didn’t help that cause. Skal Labissiere found success under the basket, while Frank Mason and Buddy Hield hit their shooting strokes. These three combined for over 50 points.

A preseason loss is nothing to be concerned with, especially without Leonard and the absence of Aldridge and Gasol in the second half. Plus, the fourth quarter was for the players at the end of the roster.

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This was the first of two preseason games the Kings and Spurs play each other in, as their next battle is on Friday, Oct. 6.