Davion Mitchell’s ‘huge’ impact on full display in Kings’ win vs. Spurs

Mitchell’s ‘huge’ impact on display in Kings’ win vs. Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Davion Mitchell might not be the biggest of players, but his impact against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at AT&T Center was huge.

When Sacramento (24-18) seemed to flounder in its 132-119 win over San Antonio, it was Mitchell that proved to be the stabilizing force the Kings needed.

“I think our starters got off to a slow start, we just try to do our job and come in, just bring some energy and I think we did that and then, we just kept it rolling,” Mitchell said on “Kings Postgame Live” to Kyle Draper and Kenny Thomas. “And then at the end of the game, we just took the win.”

Known primarily as the Kings’ defensive stopper, Mitchell was all over the court, hounding the Spurs’ (13-31) various guards. From guarding Tre Jones, Romeo Langford and others, Mitchell’s defensive impact was apparent.

However, Sunday’s game proved Mitchell could be an offensive spark off the bench as well.

“My mindset coming off the bench is just ‘bring some energy,’ ” Mitchell continued. “I mean, it’s kind of been what I’ve been trying to do … I think today, it was more just offense.

“Doug [Christie] and all the coaches told me to keep being aggressive and that’s what I did and we came out with the win.”

After scoring five points in the first 24 minutes of action against the Spurs, the 24-year-old dropped 14 points — including nine in the fourth quarter on 3-of-3 shooting — in the second half. Overall, Mitchell finished with 19 points, one rebound, and one steal.

Whenever the Spurs cut into the Kings’ lead in the fourth quarter, it was Mitchell that gave Sacramento more breathing room down the stretch with clutch shots and timely defense.

Of note, while Mitchell’s counting stats might leave something to be desired, he was a plus-20 in 19:54 off the bench. Only Kings forward Harrison Barnes (22) had a higher plus/minus rating in the game on either team, showing how Mitchell’s impact goes beyond the stat sheet.

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“I thought Davion was huge for us tonight,” Kings coach Mike Brown said to reporters postgame. “Obviously, not only did he have a good game scoring the basketball, but I thought defensively he was fantastic.”

Despite leading the charge defensively and offensively off the bench for the Kings, Mitchell says he was just “trying to play” his role when he entered the game.

“There’s a lot of good players on our team so my role is come in, try to find my teammates and just try to turn things around, especially defensively,” Mitchell told reporters postgame. “You know, the last few games defensively, we haven’t been not our best except in the fourth quarter, but playing good teams, that’s not going to work.

“So I just try to come in and change the game like that.”

Along with Mitchell, Barnes (29) De’Aaron Fox (23), Domantas Sabonis (18), Keegan Murray (12) and Trey Lyles (12) all scored in double figures for the Kings.

Sabonis also recorded his 20th consecutive double-double, the longest streak since Denver Nuggets’ star Nikola Jokic had 24 straight in 2022, as the Kings’ center strengthens his case for an All-Star spot. This comes just days after his historic performance against the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center.

By scoring 132 points against the Spurs, the Kings are the first team since the Nuggets in 1988 to score at least 130 points in five straight games.

In all, Mitchell notes that it’s important for him to stay “aggressive” and for the team as a whole to stay diligent, especially now that the Kings are in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture.

“We know that, especially with playing really well, kind of having a winning record, so we’re always going to have a target on our back, teams just want to beat us,” Mitchell added. “But we got to have that underdog mindset coming in that we’re the underdog and just play harder than everyone.”

RELATED: Sabonis has historic performance in Kings’ win over Rockets

Provided Mitchell can keep up this level of play, the Kings will be difficult to beat moving forward.

If that is the case, Mitchell will continue to be a giant presence in Sacramento, just like the Beam.