Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Homgren (7) takes a shot against the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sobonis (10) in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 10, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action at Golden One Center in Sacramento. The Kings were set to play their first NBA in-season tournament game. In the Kings last contest on Wednesday, they managed to defeat the Portland Trailblazers at home.

On Friday, the Kings were welcoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game was set for a 7 PM PST tip-off on the new hardwood exclusively for the NBA in-season tournament. The Kings defeated the Thunder by the final of 105-98 on Friday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings started the game on a terror. The Kings came out firing on all cylinders in the first, scoring 34 points in the quarter. On the other hand, the Thunder were held to 20 points by the Kings defense. The Kings were playing with an intensity that had been missing in the previous few weeks since the De’Aaron Fox injury.

In the second quarter, the Kings played much worse. The Kings offense reached a standstill in the quarter, scoring only 19 points. Fortunately for the Kings, the Thunder only managed 22 points for themselves in the quarter. So, the game would go to halftime with the Kings leading 53-42. The Kings didn’t play how they wanted to on the offensive end of the floor in the second quarter, but they maintained the lead. Kevin Huerter had a tremendous first half for the Kings, scoring 19 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 12 for the Thunder.

In the third quarter, the Kings lead continued to shrink. The Kings played an underwhelming third quarter, which shrunk the lead down to five going into the fourth quarter. The Kings were outscored by the Thunder 28-22 in the third quarter. The Kings were playing a very inconsistent game on the offensive end of the floor all night. The Kings would need to play with the same intensity they did in the first quarter to defeat Shai and the Thunder.

In the fourth quarter, both teams played with high intensity and attention to detail. Ultimately, the Kings would prevail by the final score of 105-98. The Kings scored 30 points in the last quarter of the game. The Thunder managed 28 points in the fourth quarter in defeat. It was an excellent win for the Kings, who didn’t shoot particularly well in the game but still found a way to win.

The Kings only shot 42% from the field, while the Thunder shot 44%. Coach Mike Brown was complimentary of his team postgame. In his postgame presser, Coach Brown said he was impressed with the game that Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter turned in.

Huerter and Keegan have struggled in early part of the season yet excelled on Friday night. The Kings were led in victory by Huerter, who scored 28 points in the contest. In defeat, the Thunder were led by a 28-point performance from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7 PM PST at Golden One Center.