Kings vs. Spurs gameday live: In-season tournament, Victor Wembanyama and scouting reports

The Kings will get their first look at French phenom Victor Wembanyama when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at Frost Bank Center.

Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The 7-foot-4 center is averaging 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks.

The Kings (6-4) have won four in a row. The Spurs (3-8) have lost six in a row after posting back-to-back wins over the Phoenix Suns.

This will be Sacramento’s second game in the NBA Cup in-season tournament. They are 1-0 in West Group C after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 10. The Spurs are 0-2 in group play with losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City.

Kings coach Mike Brown had not scouted San Antonio when he was asked about the Spurs following Wednesday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers, but he is intrigued by Wembanyama and has the utmost respect for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

“I’ve seen highlights and I might have caught a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there, just kind of watching as a fan because a guy like Victor makes you do that,” Brown said. “… Doing the stuff that he does, it’s intriguing, and so I don’t know much about them, but they’re big, they’re long, they’ve got a young team, and Pop is going to coach them the right way, so they’re going to play hard. In that building, they can pose problems for anybody, so we’re going to have to be on our A game for 48 minutes because it doesn’t matter what the score is, they’re going to keep coming, and when you have a talent like Victor, he gives you an opportunity for anything to happen.”

Scouting Sacramento

The Kings are coming off a 125-110 victory over the Lakers. They led by as many as 26 points and never trailed, blowing out the Lakers to open a six-game road trip.

De’Aaron Fox, who recently returned after missing five games due to a sprained ankle, is averaging 30.0 points, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 49.1% from the field and 35.9% from 3-point range. Domantas Sabonis is averaging 19.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.4 steals.

The Kings are 4-1 with Fox in the lineup. They have scored 125 points or more in four of the five games he has played.

Scouting San Antonio

The Spurs are led by Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, who is averaging 17.3 points while shooting 43.1% from 3-point range, but Vassell has been ruled out for Friday’s game due to left adductor tightness.

Keldon Johnson is the teams third-leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 rebounds. Johnson is experiencing right knee soreness, but he is listed as probable for Friday’s game.

Status updates

Tre Jones (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday’s game along with Vassell. Johnson and Sandro Mamukelashvili (back) have been upgraded from probable to available.

Kings at Spurs

When: 5 p.m.

Where: Frost Bank Center

TV: ESPN, NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140

Odds: Kings -6.5

Over/under: 236.5

Injury report

Kings: OUT — Jordan Ford (G League); Colby Jones (G League); Alex Len (ankle); Trey Lyles (calf).

Spurs: PROBABLE — Keldon Johnson (knee); Sandro Mamukelashvili (back). DOUBTFUL — Tre Jones (hamstring). OUT — Devin Vassell (adductor).

Upcoming schedule

Nov. 17 at San Antonio Spurs

Nov. 19 at Dallas Mavericks

Nov. 20 at New Orleans Pelicans

Nov. 22 at New Orleans Pelicans

Nov. 24 at Minnesota Timberwolves