Sacramento @ San Antonio preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 28, 2018 ) Sacramento 98, San Antonio 113

The San Antonio Spurs are heading into the final three days of the regular season without a playoff berth sewn up but found some momentum with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. The Spurs will try not to overlook the visiting Sacramento Kings on Monday with a potentially key trip to New Orleans for the regular season finale looming on Wednesday.

San Antonio dropped back-to-back games in Los Angeles last week to fall back into the mess of six teams fighting for five playoffs spots but stayed a game ahead of ninth-place Denver by riding a throwback performance from Manu Ginobili to a 116-105 win over Portland. "Every win is huge and we have to fight really hard to get them," Ginobili told reporters. "It's fun, too. It's making us better. It's making us grow and stick together." The Spurs can clinch a postseason spot with a win over the Kings, who are giving young players as many minutes as possible while playing out the string. Sacramento has not beaten a team with a winning record since March 16 but is 2-1 on its four-game road trip after edging Memphis 94-93 on Friday.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), FS Southwest (San Antonio)

ABOUT THE KINGS (26-54): Rookie guard Bogdan Bogdanovic hit the go-ahead jumper with 1.1 seconds left and stole the ensuing inbounds pass to seal the win over the Grizzlies. The Serbia native went 0-of-5 from 3-point range in the win and is just trying to stay sharp at the end of a long season. "It's more mental because we're out of the playoffs and these games don't give you the same feedback at the end of the game," Bogdanovic told the Sacramento Bee. "But we're still trying to win and still trying to play the right way. It's tough but we'll figure it out, and as I said we want to finish the season strong."

ABOUT THE SPURS (46-34): Ginobili, 40, scored eight straight points during a decisive run in the fourth quarter on Saturday with a pair of 3-pointers and a finger roll. "I truly don't know. I was just feeling good," Ginobili told reporters. "A couple of shots went in. I was feeling that type of rush, and that type of excitement, flow. I was trying to use it. I'm very happy that happened in a game like today, in an important moment. Made me feel good. It helped the team get a lead." Ginobili finished with 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting after sitting out the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday and going 0-of-6 from the field on Tuesday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kings rookie SF Justin Jackson is 12-of-21 from the floor in the last two games after going 3-of-16 in the previous two contests.

2. Spurs PF LaMarcus Aldridge scored at least 28 points in each of the last three contests.

3. San Antonio won the last 13 meetings, including a 113-98 home victory in the most recent matchup on Jan. 28.

PREDICTION: Spurs 109, Kings 92