Tag: Oklahoma Thunder

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face first place Thunder Saturday at OKC

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Sacramento Kings Aaron Fox (5) is snuffed by the Philadelphia 76ers Tyrese Maxey (center) and Eric Gordon (right) in first half action at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Wed Jan 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings Podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Tyrese Maxey led the way for the Philadelphia 76ers with 30 points as the Sixers defeated the Sacramento Kings 117-104. It was the Sixers fourth straight win and it was the Kings third loss in four games.

#2 Maxey has scored at least 25 points or more in 12 straight games and on Wednesday had eight assists.

#3 The Sixers Kelly Oubre Jr had 15 points, Eric Gordon 14 points, Ricky Council IV had 13 points. The 76ers ended a seven game skid.

#4 The Kings Malik Monk in the first half scored 16 of his first 21 points and Domantas Sabonis scored his second consecutive triple double and eighth triple double of the season.

#5 The Kings head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Sat Feb 1. The Thunder are first place in the NBA Western Conference at 37-9, winning seven of their last ten games and have a 20-3 record. There is little doubt the Thunder will be a handful for the Kings how do you see this match up?

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Fall to Thunder In An Offensive Letdown 127-113; Alexander leads with 38 pts for OKC

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The Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives on the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (left) in the second half at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sun Feb 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (30-22) fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-17) Sunday afternoon. The Kings did not show up offensively or defensively. The Thunder could not be contained and scored at will winning this game 127-113.

First it was the Denver Nuggets taking on the Sacramento Kings Friday night and then Sunday Sacramento had their hands more than full in Oklahoma playing the red-hot Thunder at Paycom Center. The Kings had nicely taken care of the Nuggets Friday night winning that game 135-106. 

Two nights earlier, Sacramento lost to the worst team in basketball the Pistons, and then turned around and beat one of the best two night’s later. It was a crazy turn of events. It could well have been fatigue after the lengthy road trip they had just come off of. They may have taken this game too lightly looking ahead to the Nugget matchup. It just defies logic.  

The Thunder improve to third place in the Western Conference after their win over the Kings. The Kings drop to seventh place in the conference. The Thunder battle tested the Kings to a greater extent for the 14 point win then the Nuggets did.

Game recap: Sacramento hung tight in the opening quarter of the game trailing after the first twelve minutes 29-27. OKC got going in the second quarter leading at the half 69-57. The Kings were having a lot of trouble protecting the ball with 11 turnovers. 

Sacramento was also having trouble keeping up with the face pace that the Thunder had set.  It was a quiet half for Kevin Huerter and De’Aaron Fox. Domantas Sabonis was on the edge of yet another triple double with eight rebounds, nine assists and 12 points.

It all seemed to fall apart in the third quarter for Sacramento. They had a nice start with a shot from downtown and then suffered nine empty possessions. The Thunder could not be stopped scoring at will and taking the largest lead of the game 88-66 with 5:38 left in the quarter. 

The Sacramento offense had left the building and the Kings were desperate for stops which were not coming easily. There were glimpses of some nice offense from Sacramento but nothing on a consistent basis. 

OKC was sporting a 100-83 lead going into the fourth quarter. Without offense it would be a very long quarter of basketball for Sacramento. A 17 point lead with an entire quarter left in the game in most cases is surmountable but your offense has to join the party. 

The Kings went on a nice run erasing the Thunder’s 17 point lead to start the fourth quarter. Sacramento trailed by eight points with eight minutes left in the game. The Kings could not get anything going after the opening quarter.  

One bright spot in this game for Sacramento was the triple double from Sabonis. He He had 11 rebounds, 14 assists and 21 points. Malik Monk was the high for the game with 21 points. He had a terrific game off the bench.   

Tuesday night the Kings travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns in the Valley of the Sun. Tip off for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM in yet another tough matchup.    

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Thunder in the house, Westbrook and George, led the way; Lillard can’t be contained, scores 24; plus more

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Photo credit: @okcthunder

On the NBA podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Oklahoma City Thunder got offensive help from Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Both scored 23 to lead the Thunder over the New Orleans Pelicans 122-116.

#2 Damian Lillard led the Portland Trailblazers with 24 points as the Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-106. A big road win for the Blazers in the Valley of the Sun.

#3 The Washington Wizards got rolled by the Golden State Warriors 126-118 in the nation’s capital. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry led with 38 points.

#4 Minnesota vs. LA Lakers: Karl Anthony Towns scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds in the Minnesota Timberwolves win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night 120-105.

Jerry is a Golden State Warriors beat writer and does the NBA podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Can’t Overcome Playoff Hungry Thunder, Lose 116-103

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By Shawn Whelchel

In a fight for the eight and final spot in the Western Conference, the Russell Wilson led Oklahoma City took down the depleted Sacramento Kings with a 116-103 final to keep their playoff dreams alive.

With both Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka still ailing, it was up to Westbrook to lead the Thunder’s charge. The dynamic young point guard didn’t disappoint, dropping 27 points while dishing 10 assists against a Sacramento team still missing both DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.

But Westbrook wasn’t alone in his charge, as a slew of supporting characters on the Oklahoma City roster helped him out with a balanced scoring attack. Alongside Westbrook, fellow starters Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters finished with over 20 points on the night, while Anthony Morrow provided 19 off the bench.

But despite what the final 13 point deficit might suggest, the Kings did not make it easy for the Thunder to grasp the victory. After being up as many as 13 points in the first half, the Kings battled back to head into the final frame with just a six point deficit. However, the Thunder would not relinquish their grip on the lead, and would outscore Sacramento by seven points in the fourth to hold on for the win.

Like the Thunder, the Kings scoring attack was fairly balanced, with Ben McLemore leading the team with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He was followed by Omri Casspi, Ray McCallum and Derrick Williams, all of whom finished with 15 points or more on the night.

The Kings have now lost 7 of their last 8 games while clearly missing their top two scorers in Gay and Cousins. They still have three games left in order to finish the season on a high note by concluding their road trip at Denver before heading home to face the Lakers for their final home game of the season on Monday. They will then travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers yet again to play their season finale on April 15.