Tag: OKC Thunder

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 37 for OKC; Thunder get big help from bench who score 40 in 130-109 win over Kings

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) knocks the ball out of the hands of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (left) in first half action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Mon Nov 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Monday night. The Kings took on the Oklahoma City Thunder inside Golden 1 Center. The Kings were on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday evening, 108-103.

After the loss, the Kings prepared for the Thunder, who came into the game on Monday with a 12-4 record. The Kings looked to improve their 8-9 record heading into the game. Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST. The Kings lost their fourth straight game as the Thunder defeated the Kings 130-109.

The Kings gave word pregame that Malik Monk would make his return to action on Monday. It was much-welcomed news for a reeling Kings team that hadn’t been fully healthy since Monk’s injury on November 10th.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out with good energy on the offensive side of the ball. However, they were sloppy with the ball. The Kings had five turnovers in the first quarter, which set them on an alarming path. The Kings had been turning the ball over at an alarming rate of late and needed to clean that up. They were outscored in the first quarter 31-30 by the Thunder. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings in the first quarter with nine points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 12 points.

In the second quarter, each team continued to push the intensity on the offensive end of the floor. DeMar DeRozan added another 10 points in a 32-point quarter for the Kings. Allay Mitchell added eight points for the Thunder in the second quarter as they scored 32 points as a team. The Kings went into halftime trailing 63-62. The leading scorer in the game through the first half was DeMar DeRozan with 19 points. I had a feeling the game would come down to three-point shooting in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings just couldn’t get anything going. It’s as simple as that. The Kings weren’t active on the defensive end of the floor, and it translated to their offense. The Kings looked like a team lost at sea. The offense had no identity, and they couldn’t hit open shots. The Kings were outscored in the third quarter 34-22 and trailed the Thunder 97-84 heading into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings got blown off the floor. There’s nothing else to write. The Kings couldn’t mount any sort of comeback as they were outscored 33-25 in the fourth. The Kings lost the game 130-109. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 30 points in defeat, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points in victory for the Thunder.

Up Next: The Kings play on Wednesday in Minnesota as they take on the Timberwolves at 5 PM PST.

Kings Roar Back, Beat Thunder 94-93

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back home. After over a week on the road, the Kings returned home after splitting the road trip 2-2. The two wins for the Kings on the trip came on the toughest part, the back-to-back against Dallas and Houston. The Kings were able to pull off both those wins and came home with a good feeling about rising to .500 in the coming week. The Kings started off the homestand with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

In the first quarter, the Kings were looking to get off to a good start against a team they should have a good chance beating on paper. The Kings didn’t shoot as well as they would have hoped in the first at just 40% from the floor. However, that was better than the showing the Thunder put on shooting only 30% in the first from the floor. Leading the Kings was Nemanja Bjelica with 7 points, followed by Trevor Ariza with 5 points. For the Thunder, Steven Adams led with 5 points. Going into the second quarter, the Kings led the Thunder 23-18.

In the second quarter, things would unravel a bit for the Kings. Thanks to poor shooting and the Thunder knocking down shots, the Kings would give up the lead going into halftime. The Kings were only able to manage 15 points in the second as opposed to the Thunder’s 29. Dennis Schroder finished the first half as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points. Continuing to lead the Kings in scoring, despite not adding a basket in the second, was Nemanja Bjelica with 7 points. Buddy Hield got on the board, scoring 5 in the second quarter. Overall, the Kings shot 35.65% from the field in the first half compared to the Thunder’s 41.5% clip.

In the second half, the Kings looked to come out with the energy they lacked in the first half. Unfortunately, the Kings were lackluster on offense. Taking a 9-point deficit into halftime, the Kings had only let that deficit grow to a 64-50 Thunder lead with five minutes remaining in the third. The Thunder had been shooting extraordinarily well at a 40% clip from downtown. The rest of the way in the third it would get much better for the Kings. They finished the third down by two points 71-69. Buddy Hield finished the third with 15 points and Marvin Bagley had 11 points.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunder would retake the lead early. They retook a 10-point lead 83-73 at the 7:49 point in the game. From there, it would be all Kings as they came roaring back to tie the game with 1:00 remaining in the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic would foul the Thunder and they made both their free throws. The Kings took a timeout with the ball with 30 seconds left down 93-91. Bogdan Bogdanovic was able to get open and knock down a three to set up the last possession for the Thunder with 13.4 seconds left in the game. The Thunder got the ball to Chris Paul, who was defended by Richaun Holmes. Paul tried to hit a pullup jumper but missed it and the game ended. The Kings came away victorious 94-93.

What’s Next?
The Kings stay home to host the New York Knicks on Friday at 7 PM PST.

The Thunder continues the West Coast trip against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 6 PM PST.

The Thunder stuns the Dubs in Game One; Adams apologizes for calling Warriors Guards “quick little monkeys”

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo espn.com: OKC Thunder’s Steven Adams stops for a post game interview following the Thunders’ defeat of Golden State at Oracle Arena

In a post game interview following the victory over the Golden State Warriors the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Steven Adams who is from New Zealand said that the Warrior guards are “quick little monkeys” when word of this spread and there was some complaint to outrage. Adams quickly apologized saying “It was a poor choice of words mate, I wasn’t thinking straight. I didn’t know it was going to offend anyone but I’m truly sorry. It was a poor choice of words. I was trying to describe how difficult it was chasing those guys around.” said Adams

The OKC Thunder stunned the Golden State Warriors 108-102 in Game One of the Western Conference Finals. The Dubs had a fourteen-point lead in the third quarter, but OKC shut down the Dubs offense to win. The Warriors have to win Game Two as game three and fours will be played in Oklahoma City. As it stands now, the Thunder owns home court advantage even if the Dubs win game two.

The Warriors won the first half. They were able to contain Russell Westbrook to three points for the first twenty-nine minutes of the game. The Dubs led 27-21 after the first quarter and 60-47. The taller Thunder erased the lead in the third quarter. The Thunder, the best rebounding team in the NBA, used their big men to control the boards. They also shut down the Warrior offense in the fourth quarter by holding them to just fourteen points. The Thunder outscored the Warriors 61-42 in the second half.

The story of the game can be shown in the production of the big men. The Thunder’s centers, Steve Adams, and Enes Kanter combined to score 24 points and had 18 rebounds. Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, and Mo Speights combined for four points and six rebounds. Bogut did not score at all. He was questionable before the game as he had a groin injury. Hopefully, he will be at full strength Wednesday night.

Steph scored twenty-six. Klay added twenty-five and Draymond had twenty-three. The Thunder’s big three were Kevin Durant with twenty-six, Russell Westbrook had twenty-seven and Steve Adams knocked down sixteen.

Game two of the series will be Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena at 6 PM PT. There is no question that the game is a MUST win for Golden State.