Spurs Ride Flaming-Hot Start, Close Preseason with Blowout Victory Over Kings

SAN ANTONIO — Following a stagnant debut on Wednesday, the San Antonio Spurs’ three-guard starting lineup had something to prove.

The starters opened San Antonio’s final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings with a near-perfect start on Friday before most Frost Bank Center fans had settled into their seats.

Dylan Harper opened the scoring with a slash to the rim and on the Kings’ next possession, Victor Wembanyama secured a defensive rebound. With three guards flanking him, the 7-foot-4 forward decided his ball-handling skills would suffice. 

Wembanyama needed only four dribbles to get down the court. He gathered at the 3-point arc, chucked the ball off the backboard at the free throw line and chased his own ball to complete the self lob. The Spurs led by 16 points before their starters left the game in the first quarter, and the gap spread to 34 points at halftime.

After an 8-for-10 start, the offensive hit rate smoothed out, but the Spurs never removed their feet from the gas pedal, cruising to a 126-97 victory over the Kings.

"We played such good basketball today," Harper said postgame. "We're starting to figure out our identity and figure out how to play with each other."

The Spurs created offensive opportunities with ease, sharing 16 assists in the first half as the offense rarely looked pressured by the Kings. Facing his former team, De’Aaron Fox scored 16 points in the first half, while Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper posted nine combined assists in the first half, respectively.

"We all help each other out," Harper said of the guard trio. "We're all very unselfish. Just learning how to play off the ball and getting better at that ... knowing when to cut, when to space ... I feel like getting reps with them now is definitely going to help us moving forward."

Late in the first quarter, Vassell recorded the highlight of his night. He faked a standard layup, hung in the air and wrapped under the rim in one motion for a reverse finish that had the Spurs’ bench on its feet. He finished the evening with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field.

After halftime, Harper took over the game offensively and put his superstar scoring potential on display. The second-year guard scored 14 straight points for his team out of the gate, shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc, as Wembanyama rested the entire second half.

“Throughout the year last year, (Harper's 3-point shooting) was just incrementally improving," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "He's a ridiculously talented young player who has really matured and really started to build a foundation of habits.”

After a timeout with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter, Harper was outscoring the Kings by himself, 14-13. The second-year guard's unstoppable spurt pushed him to 19 points, passing Fox’s 16 and marking his third time pacing the Spurs this preseason.

The blowout nature of Friday’s game allowed Spurs draftees Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tarris Reed Jr. and Maliq Brown to lead the team in the fourth quarter. Gillespie enjoyed a productive fourth period, shooting 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and finishing with 11 points.

Reed, meanwhile, has proven himself a proficient rebounder. He secured eight boards against the Kings, tying with Wembanyama and forward Carter Bryant for a team-high.

Wembanyama finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 17 minutes of playing time. San Antonio out-rebounded Sacramento 63-38, with 20 offensive rebounds. The Spurs attempted 51 3-pointers, nailing 17 on a 33 percent shooting clip.

After three straight losses to kick off the preseason, Friday’s victory allowed San Antonio to end the exhibition on a two-game win streak to build positive momentum moving forward.

The Spurs will begin their 2026-27 campaign against the Oklahoma City Thunder next Tuesday in the first of three scheduled meetings in the regular season.

Tipoff from Frost Bank Center is set for 8:30 p.m. Central on NBC.