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Spurs vie to bounce back versus Kings

Mar 1, 2013 - 3:34 PM (Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to get back on track after an uncharacteristically bad home loss this week when they welcome the Sacramento Kings to the Alamo City.

The Spurs dropped an overtime game to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, 105-101. San Antonio lost an 18-home winning streak with a defeat to a team who is just 7-24 outside of Phoenix.

"They played better in a lot of different areas and we didn't play well," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "Give Phoenix credit, they haven't been winning a lot of games. They deserved to win the game."

The setback to the Suns, whom the Spurs beat by 10 in Phoenix on Sunday, was San Antonio's first loss at the AT&T Center since Nov. 19 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jermaine O'Neal grabbed a missed free-throw from Manu Ginobili with 3.7 seconds remaining and hit Wesley Johnson with a perfect football pass. Johnson then drained a tying 3-pointer.

"I think overall we made a lot of mental errors, especially on that last play on the free-throw line when Johnson went all the way down the court and wasn't picked up," said Popovich. "That cost us the game."

The Spurs didn't make a single field-goal in overtime, going 0-for-10.

After their long rodeo road trip that spanned much of February, the Spurs have 12 of their next 14 in San Antonio.

The Kings will end a five-game road trip on Friday night. Their trek through the south has seen them go 1-3, but that one victory came in the last outing.

Sacramento thrashed the Orlando Magic, 125-101, on Wednesday night. Any 24- point road victory is impressive, even if it's against the Magic, but that one was really remarkable.

On Tuesday, the Kings took the surging Miami Heat to two overtimes before falling. Less than 24 hours later, after five Kings played 40-plus minutes, and John Salmons tallied over 50 points, they blew out the Magic immediately.

The Kings won the first quarter by 14, the second quarter by nine and the third by seven. Add it up and the Kings were 30 ahead after 36 minutes.

"These past two nights probably have been the best basketball we played all season," said DeMarcus Cousins. "When we play this way, (we are) a tough team to beat."

Salmons led the Kings against the Magic with 21 points, but only played a little over 22 minutes. Six other Sacramento players scored in double figures and the Kings shot 55 percent from the field.

The Spurs have won four straight over the Kings, including two this season. San Antonio has owned Sacramento in recent history with 25 wins in the last 28 meetings. The Kings are 2-13 in their last 15 in the Alamo City.