SAN ANTONIO — On the ropes late in the fourth quarter for the second straight game, the Spurs dug deep Friday night and pulled out another improbable overtime victory at the AT&T Center.
Dejounte Murray nailed a 16-foot jumper with 29 seconds left in OT and LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double in his return from a thigh injury, leading the Silver and Black to a 105-104 win over the Sacramento Kings.
The Spurs (9-14) were coming off a 135-133 double-overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at the AT&T Center, rallying from an eight-point deficit with 1:37 left in regulation.
“It is definitely dramatic, but a win is a win," San Antonio forward DeMar DeRozan said. "I think it is the best way for us to understand how we need to close our games. Our mistakes caused us to be in a hole, but we have to fight back so hard. For the most part, as long as we get the win that’s all that matters.”
Aldridge, who had missed two consecutive games with a sore right thigh, finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds Friday night.
The Kings (8-13) missed four shots, including two three-pointers by Trevor Ariza, on their final possession following Murray's go-ahead bucket.
"We fought," Murray said, when asked about his thought on the overtime period. "Both teams fought, but you have to put your hat off to Sacramento. They have hurt guys.
"They came out and competed like they have been doing. We competed and both teams just wanted to win. We came out with the victory."
The Spurs won back-to-back games for the first time since starting the season 3-0. They are 6-14 since then and lost eight straight at one point before ending the skid against the Knicks two weeks ago in New York.
DeRozan also had a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out a game-high seven assists.
One of the NBA's best mid-range shooters, DeRozan drained 3 of 5 three-pointers. He was only 2 of 9 from long distance in his first 22 games this season.
"People act like I can't shoot," DeRozan said. "But I just never shot it (the three-pointer). It is not like I'll be 1 for 100, but I just need to keep shooting them. Get in a rhythm."
Patty Mills (13), Jakob Poeltl (13) and Marco Belinelli (11) rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Spurs.
Down by nine with 1:50 left, the Silver and Black outscored the Kings 11-2 the remainder of the fourth quarter. San Antonio forced overtime on a three-pointer by Belinelli that tied the game at 100 with 4.1 seconds left in regulation.
"It was great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, referring to Belinelli's three-pointer. "We were thrilled. They executed the play very well and he came off wide open and he knocked it down. He loves those situations. He always has for his whole career, so we went to him and he came through."
Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes led the scoring for the Kings with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Barnes (10 rebounds) and Richaun Holmes (13 points, 10 rebounds) also had a double-double. Yogi Ferrell (17) completed Sacramento's double-digit scoring.
The Spurs shot 42.7 percent overall (41-96) and 34.4 percent (11-32) from the three-point line. Sacramento made 39.2 percent (40-102) of its field goal attempts and shot 26.5 percent (9-34) from beyond the arc.
Trailing 52-42 at the half, Sacramento outscored San Antonio 30-17 in the third quarter to take a 72-69 lead into the fourth period.
DeRozan nailed two three-pointers and scored 10 points to spark the Spurs to a 52-42 lead at the half.
The Silver and Black shot 43.8 percent (21-48) overall and 30 percent (6-20) from the three-point line in the first two quarters.
Sacramento had a tough time finding the basket in the first half, shooting 34.1 percent (15-44) overall and 22.2 percent (4-18) from beyond the arc. Ferrell led the Kings' scoring with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
Gay, who started, had seven points in the first quarter. The Spurs led 21-17 after one period.