Reporters wished Gregg Popovich a happy 69th birthday before the Spurs’ tilt versus the Kings, but the 113-98 win was defined by the message he sent to his team.
First halves have been an issue for the Spurs all season long — they own a negative net rating through the first two quarters, compared to a plus-8 net rating in the third and fourth — and Sunday, against a 15-33 Sacramento team, was no different.
The visiting Kings, coming in on the fifth game of a six-game road trip and with an injury report that could’ve been written by George R.