Note: Jimmer Fredette has started his road to see if he can land one of the final roster spots with the San Antonio Spurs and we will follow his progress on a game-by-game basis to let you know how he is coming along.

The shorthanded Spurs began their preseason schedule with a 95-92 setback against the Sacramento Kings on the road Thursday night.

Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins led the way for the Kings, but also had plenty of help from some newcomers on the night. Gay finished with 26 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the floor to go along with seven rebounds and two assists while Cousins totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Marco Belinelli and Rajon Rondo each made a big impact for Sacramento in the win. Belinelli scored 19 points and handed out four assists off the bench even though he struggled to find the range on his outside shot (1 for 7 from 3-point land). Rondo came away with six points on 75 percent shooting from the floor to go along with a game-high 10 assists, eight rebounds and a pair of steals.

Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Anderson paced the Spurs who were without the services of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw. Leonard registered 16 points on 50 percent shooting with five rebounds, and three steals while Anderson came off the bench to put up 15 points on 6 for 9 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Patty Mills had a solid showing with 11 points on 5 for 7 shooting with a team-high five assists while LaMarcus Aldridge had a rough outing in his first game in a San Antonio uniform. He had just eight points on 3 for 10 shooting with three rebounds in 23 minutes.

Jimmer Fredette played 11 minutes in the loss and didnt having a great shooting performance. He went scoreless while missing all four of his shots, including both his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Even though his shot wasn’t falling, he did make some nice contributions with three rebounds and two assists.

His competition (for a roster spot and/or playing time) came away with mixed results. Jonathon Simmons had two points on 1 for 6 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds, four assists and a steal in 23 minutes while Rasual Butler recorded 12 points on 5 for 7 shooting from the field, including 2 for 2 from 3-point range with five rebounds in 15 minutes. Ray McCallum managed eight points on 3 for 7 shooting with two steals, an assist and three turnovers in 17 minutes while Reggie Williams had four points on 50 percent shooting from distance with two boards and a steal in eight minutes.

Up next for the Spurs is another road test as they travel to Miami to face off against the Heat on Monday night.