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De'Aaron Fox Drops a CAREER-HIGH 39 Points | Kings vs Spurs 7.31.20

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Following slow starts over the previous three games, Coach Michael Malone had to be happy with the way Sacramento came out in San Antonio for preseason game No. 6.

The Kings started 4-of-4 from field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to lead the defending champions by nine just three minutes into the initial frame. Sacramento would continue the hot shooting and tally 31 points on 65 percent from the field in the first quarter.

Cousins scored six of first eight points en route to a 13-point quarter, in which the aspiring All-Star looked dominant over the Spurs frontline.

San Antonio would take advantage of a sloppy start to the second quarter to tie the game at 31 less than two minutes into the period. Both teams traded leads for much of the quarter.

Sacramento forced four consecutive San Antonio turnovers midway through the frame but was unable to capitalize until a Ramon Sessions steal led to a Darren Collison lay-in to give the Kings a 44-42 lead with 5:39 remaining in the half.

The Kings would then reel off eleven straight to push the lead to nine and Rudy Gay’s 3-point-play a few moments later extended Sacramento’s lead to a game-high 16 points.

At halftime, Sacramento would lead by 11. 

It took Cousins 22 minutes to miss his first shot. No. 15 was 8-of-8 for 22 points until his 15-foot jumper rolled out with 7:41 remaining in the third quarter.

However, Boogie would make his next two shots to improve to 10-of-11 and a game-high 26 points, showcasing the feathery outside touch and strong low post presence Kings fans have grown to love.

Fueled by nine Kings turnovers in the period, San Antonio would outscore Sacramento by 10 in the third to trail by only one heading into the fourth.

Kyle Anderson’s dunk with nine minutes remaining gave San Antonio its first lead since the 6:26 mark in the second quarter, but Landry quickly helped the Kings regain the lead with a beautiful lay-in less than 20 seconds later.

As was the case during the second quarter, both squads would exchange leads for much of the fourth.

The Spurs then showed what led them to their fifth championship a season ago. Led by Tony Parker &amp; backup power forward Jeff Ayres, San Antonio executed to perfection to close the game and pull away with a 106-99 win.

The Kings should be well tested for the upcoming 41-game road schedule. With one more road exhibition contest remaining, Sacramento has already played four in the preseason, eclipsing 15,000 miles traveled.

Big Cuz, looking to become an All-Star for the first time in his young career, appears to be in midseason form. After light work in Saturday’s game against Maccabi Haifa, Cousins came out on fire in San Antonio. No. 15 scored 19 points in the first half while pulling down seven rebounds and shooting 7-of-7 from the field.

Cousins finished with 32 points and has now notched back-to-back preseason double-doubles.

Darren Collison has been impressive from deep this preseason. The sixth-year pro has connected on 8-of-10 from 3-point range over the first six exhibition games. A career 36 percent 3-point shooter, Collison, and all Kings fans, would be happy to see No. 7 connect on 80 percent from long range during the regular season.

Carl Landry recorded his best game of the preseason, notching 15 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action. No. 24 showcased his offensive repertoire in the fourth quarter, grabbing offensive rebounds for lay-ins and spotting up and knocking down the midrange jumper. 

Sacramento heads to Las Vegas to battle the L.A. Lakers in the pair's final preseason game this Friday at 7 p.m. PDT. The game will be broadcast exclusively via radio on KHTK Sports 1140 AM. 

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Sacramento Slips Late to San Antonio

Steven Wilson

McLemore, JT and Coach Malone dish on their experience overseas, the new uniforms and the defending NBA Champions before matchup with San Antonio.

Sacramento improved to 2-0 at home this preseason after racing past Maccabi Haifa on Saturday night, 91-59. DeMarcus Cousins paced the offense with 15 points, while Darren Collison (12), Ramon Sessions (11), Nik Stauskas (10) and Derrick Williams (12) also finished in double-figures.

Sacramento’s defense shined in the second half holding Maccabi Haifa to 23-percent from the floor. Kings reserves entered in the fourth quarter and kept up the dominant performance combining for 39 points after intermission.

For the Kings, one of the added benefits of playing at home just two days after returning from their two-week long stay in China was sleeping in their own beds. With jam-packed flight schedules, tours and games overseas, the players are just now getting back into a home routine.

“It was a good game for us to get adjusted from our China trip,” stated forward Omri Casspi.

“I think the guys are still tired. I know I wake up at three in the morning, and I’m still adjusting, but it was a fun [trip].”

Casspi and Co. may still be recovering from the most recent flight back to the City of Trees, but for Sacramento’s star center, who has admitted recently he feels like he’s 45-years-old not 24, the preseason trip to Shanghai and Beijing was part of a grueling summer.

“I’m just trying to get my body right,” said DeMarcus Cousins after Saturday night’s game. “I have a lot of aches and pains right now, but I’ve been putting in the extra time to get my body right. I’ll be fine – I’ll tough it out.”

After meeting the team in Las Vegas for Mini-Camp in July, a full month-long stint with Team USA overseas and now two games in China in exhibition action, DMC is glad to be home for a few days before hitting the road again to face the Spurs.

Sixteen players saw action on the court this past weekend for the Kings, but fans can expect that to change as the team flies to San Antonio to face the defending NBA champions.

“We have to start narrowing it down and getting our normal group the minutes that they need to play well together,” said Head Coach Michael Malone. “And come up with a rotation that will give us the best chance at success to start this season.”

Sacramento’s coaching staff has employed four different starting lineups through the first five tune-up games resulting in a 2-3 record.

“I’m not concerned about the record at all because we have played a lot of different lineups,” said Malone. “But as we get down to the game in San Antonio and the game in Vegas versus LA, I want to tighten up our rotation, stop making the same mistakes, be a lot more disciplined on defense, talking to each other, covering for each other and executing our gameplan.”

After holding Maccabi Haifa to 59 total points on Saturday, the Kings defense is allowing just 98 points to opponents this preseason, while the offense is averaging 102 points per game.

“Offensively, I want to really stress the attack pace, if nothing is free early [use] great ball movement and pass up good shots to earn great shots,” continued the second-year head coach.

Following orders, the purple and black attacked the Greens at a blazing pace on Saturday night, which generated 19 fast-break points. Yet the team understands their attack plan may change against the Spurs – a team known for playing fundamental defense and selfless offense.

“They play well as a team,” said forward Jason Thompson. “Most of their core players have been around each other [for a while], so they know the ins and outs and if something isn’t going well, then they know how to adjust on the fly.”

The Spurs big-three have played together since 2004, with many players filtering in and out over the years. Thanks to its high level of consistency, San Antonio has reached the playoffs in each of the seventeen seasons that star forward Tim Duncan has been with the team.

“Things really don’t change [with that team],” admitted Thompson. “Sometimes you might have different guys come in, but it’s very few and they’re role players. It’s not a guy coming in there and doing their own thing – they have a gameplan and either you do it, or they get someone else to do it.”

Depending on the rotation, No. 34 may have the difficult task of guarding Duncan on Monday night. The longest-tenured player on the Kings roster is very familiar with his assignment given the fact these two have met 18 times over the past six seasons. JT knows No. 21 is the perfect portrayal of a team that relies on fundamental basketball schemes.

“At some point, you had to learn the fundamentals to make it to the NBA. They’ve got Mr. Fundamental himself [Duncan], who isn’t flashy, but he’s effective. We’ve seen that over the last ten years.”

The team’s recent flight to China was full of surprises.

As forward Eric Moreland found out, it’s best not to sleep on the first plane flight.

For those who didn’t get any shut-eye, the 12-hour trip gave newcomers and veterans alike a chance to bond, share stories and develop chemistry off the court.

“That was a great experience and I think it helped a lot,” stated second-year guard Ben McLemore. “I was just there by myself a month ago, but it’s different going over there by yourself. Just to be around your teammates, interact with each other and have fun was great and it helped a lot.”

Although the team dropped both of its contests to the Brooklyn Nets while in China, Kings players realize the importance of exhibition games and the impact they have on an 82-game regular season.

“Preseason is not all about wins and losses,” stated Thompson. “We could be undefeated, but those stats obviously don’t count. The stuff we learned about each other and how we play together [is much more important]. The team bonding was great – going to the Great Wall and Shanghai, trips like those can only help us get better.”

The Kings look like a brand new team in 2014.

With new uniforms, a handful of new faces and a shiny new playing surface, Sacramento fans may not automatically recognize their own team as the regular season approaches.  Yet, the changes have been welcomed with open arms, especially the new uniforms.

“They’re a little livelier,” said Thompson. “I like the fit of the jerseys and I like the warm-ups. Another thing I really like is the new court. I like how they changed it up and I know the fans appreciate it as well.

“I definitely like the color scheme and the new swag – it fits my personality.”

The road warm-ups consist of an all-black base, white Addidas trim and a purple crown on the pants. The home edition is white with purple cursive ‘Kings’ lettering on the back and the same purple crown on the pants.

Meanwhile, the new jerseys honored Sacramento's storied past with new lettering across the chest and a new secondary logo.

“The uniforms are way better – I like the material,” said Ben McLemore. “Especially because I got my number back – 23 is special. Everybody likes the warm-ups too. They changed it up and they’re pretty comfortable.”

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De'Aaron Fox Drops a CAREER-HIGH 39 Points | Kings vs Spurs 7.31.20

Sacramento Slips Late to San Antonio

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