Spurs Run Away in Austin as Wembanyama, Fox Shine in Kings Vs Spurs Tilt
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 139-122 on Feb. 21, 2026, a result that deepened Sacramento’s slide and further buoyed the Spurs’ standing. This kings vs spurs matchup underscored San Antonio’s interior dominance and left the Kings with a franchise-worst trajectory late in the season.
Moody Center: Game flow and decisive stretch
The game, played at Moody Center in Austin, TX, was level at 88-89 with 4: 39 left in the third quarter, but the Spurs turned that tie into a 14-point margin by the start of the fourth and never relinquished control. San Antonio finished with 74 points in the paint, a measurable advantage that helped convert a third-quarter tie into a comfortable 139-122 win. The matchup was scheduled for 5: 00 PM PT / 8: 00 PM ET and was available on NBCSCA and League Pass.
Kings Vs Spurs: Key individual performances
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 28 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks. De’Aaron Fox added 18 points and 5 assists for San Antonio. For Sacramento, Keegan Murray scored 20 points in 36 minutes, and Maxime Raynaud had 16 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes. A photograph from the game captured Wembanyama dribbling in front of Sacramento forward Drew Eubanks; the image carries the mandatory credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images.
Standings impact: Kings’ slide and Spurs’ surge
The loss left the Sacramento Kings with 12 wins and 45 losses (12-45), a. 211 winning percentage that the coverage noted could make this the worst Kings squad since the franchise moved to Sacramento. The 2008-09 Kings went 17-65 with a. 207 winning percentage; whether the current team can avoid finishing worse is unclear in the provided context. The Spurs improved to 39-16 and were described as the second-best team in the Western Conference, riding a seven-game winning streak after the trade that sent De’Aaron Fox out of Sacramento.
Tanking landscape and playoff math implications
Discussion around the loss referenced a broader league context of teams positioned to lose for better draft status. Eight teams were listed as tanking: Kings, Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Nets, Wizards, Utah, Mavericks and Grizzlies, with the numbers in parentheses showing current wins. The write-up also tallied remaining head-to-head games among those teams: Kings 8, New Orleans 7, Utah 7, Nets 6, Mavericks 6, Grizzlies 6, Wizards 4 and Pacers 4. The next-worst teams after Sacramento were identified as the Nets and Pacers at 15 wins each, and a commenter warned that the biggest short-term risks for the Kings’ standing were matchups against the Nets and Pacers, followed by single-game risks against the Mavericks, Grizzlies and Jazz and two more against New Orleans. Biggest rivals for the worst record were listed as the Pacers, Nets and Wizards.
De’Aaron Fox trade and team narratives
Post-trade consequences were part of the lens on the matchup: the Spurs’ recent winning streak and Fox’s second All-Star selection were cited as evidence that the franchise that acquired Fox gained immediate benefit. The piece framed the matchup as an answer to which franchise fared better after the trade, emphasizing San Antonio’s momentum and Sacramento’s collapse. A line of fan sentiment—"Tank on. "—was included as a blunt summary of local mood.
Roster notes, roster moves and remaining uncertainty
Additional contextual notes recorded that the current Kings roster was being compared to the 2008-09 squad led by Reggie Theus and Kenny Natt, and that the Kings’ 12-45 mark left open the possibility of finishing with fewer wins than that earlier team. Mention was also made of assets exchanged in the trade for Fox: one of the three first-rounders reportedly converted into a pair of second-rounders, another was traded to draft Nique Clifford, and a 2031 unprotected pick involving Minnesota is referenced but unclear in the provided context. The article preserved that uncertainty rather than conjecture.
What makes this notable is how a single late-third-quarter swing, combined with dominant paint scoring and Wembanyama’s all-around line, crystallized both teams’ current trajectories: San Antonio consolidating a playoff-position surge and Sacramento plunging deeper into a rebuilding spiral.
Game details: final score Spurs 139, Kings 122; date Feb. 21, 2026; venue Moody Center, Austin, TX. Broadcast options listed were NBCSCA and League Pass.
