Spurs Demolish Kings 126-97 as Preseason Depth Theory Gets Torched

So much for the "both benches decide the final 20 minutes" theory. San Antonio absolutely demolished Sacramento 126-97 in a preseason beatdown that made our Kings +14.5 call look like wishful thinking from the opening tip.

The Spurs came out firing and never let up, building a cushion so comfortable that the supposed depth advantage we banked on never materialized. Sacramento's "NBA-caliber bodies" — Murray, Sabonis, and the newly-acquired LaVine — couldn't generate anything resembling competitive basketball, while San Antonio's rotation players looked like they'd been mainlining offensive sets since July. That 119.8 PPG from last season's stat sheet? Turns out it wasn't just Victor Wembanyama doing heavy lifting.

The 29-point final margin crushed our +14.5 number by a cool two touchdowns. We leaned hard on preseason randomness and the idea that double-digit spreads in October are sucker bets. Instead, the Spurs treated this like a regular-season revenge game, and Sacramento looked every bit like a squad still figuring out rotations with new pieces.

Laying double digits in preseason might historically be the worst side of the market, but tonight it was the only side that mattered. Sometimes the math gets run over by reality — and a 29-point drubbing is about as real as it gets.