Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis (9) guards Oklahoma City Thunder guard Svi Mykhailiuk (14) in the first quarter at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Tue May 11, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings (31-38) were back in action on Tuesday night. The Kings last played on Sunday in Sacramento against the Oklahoma City Thunder (21-49). On Tuesday, they were matched up against those same Thunder. The Kings would play the Thunder in three of the last five games after Tuesday night. On Tuesday, the Kings downed the Thunder 122-106. However, before we talk about Tuesday’s matchup let’s discuss the Kings win against the Thunder on Sunday.

Flashback Sunday: The Kings have handled the Thunder in 2021. On Sunday, it was no different. The Kings managed to bet the Thunder by a convincing margin 126-98. The key to the King’s victory was defense. This year, the theme in Kings victory has been defense. If the Kings are competent on the defensive end they have a chance to win. The Kings downed the Thunder on Sunday by keeping them below 100 points.

Tuesday night game recap: The Kings were set to take on the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento. It would be the Kings third game in the last game against the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder.

In the first half, the Thunder outplayed the Kings. Specifically, in the first quarter where the Thunder outscored the Kings 32-27. For a team without much offensive firepower, the Thunder boomed on offense. In the second quarter, the Thunder didn’t slow down.

Yet, the Kings managed to outslug the Thunder in the second quarter. The Kings outscored the Thunder 35-33 in the second quarter to close the gap heading into halftime. The Thunder would enter halftime up 65-62 looking to snap the losing streak against the Kings.

In the second half, the Kings had plans for the Thunder. The Kings came out of the gate in the third with authority as they pummelled the Thunder by outscoring them 41-18. It may well have been the best quarter the Kings have played this season as the defensive intensity and offensive output had greatly increased from the first half.

The third quarter would give the Kings momentum and catapult them to a 102-83 lead heading into the final 12 minutes. In the fourth quarter, it was merely academic. The Kings offense cooled and the Thunder outscored them 23-19 in the final quarter.

However, that comeback would fall woefully short. The Kings beat the Thunder for the third straight time by the final of 122-106. In the game, the Kings got solid performances from Terence Davis, Buddy Hield, and Delon Wright who all scored more than 20 points.

Davis seems to have taken on more of a scoring role in the absence of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. Davis led the Kings scoring 27 points on Tuesday night. For the Thunder, they were led in defeat by Kenrich Williams who scored 20 points.

Up Next: The Kings head to Memphis on Thursday to take on the Memphis Grizzlies at 5 PM PST. The Kings have three games remaining on the season as they are 2.5 games back of the 10th place Spurs in the standings.