Thunder 130-109 Kings (November 25, 2024) Game Recap

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s bench players combined for 40 points in a 130-109 win over Sacramento on Monday night, extending the Kings’ losing streak to four.

Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Isaiah Hartenstein returned from a stint on the injured list with 17 points for the Thunder.

DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points in the first half and finished with 30 for the Kings. The Kings’ bench scored half as much as the Thunder’s bench, and Sacramento shot just 25% from 3-point range.

Takeaways

Thunder: Oklahoma City entered a challenging road trip with confidence. The Thunder will play the top three teams in the West, and Hartenstein’s return to the starting lineup was a welcome sight for an Oklahoma City team that needs to remain steadfast on defense.

Kings: Sacramento trailed by one point at halftime after a hard-fought first half in which the lead changed 15 times and Oklahoma City’s largest lead was six points. That’s exactly what head coach Mike Brown wanted to see from his team after emphasizing the need for stronger first halves before the game. But the Kings couldn’t maintain the momentum in the second half.

Key moment

Both teams ran into foul trouble in the third quarter, but the Kings’ fouls ultimately gave the Thunder a chance to pull away. After a laceration over Hartenstein’s eye was attributed to Domantas Sabonis in the retest, two consecutive fouls by Malik Monk triggered the downturn.

Key statistics

De’Aaron Fox had just 14 points, a far cry from his 28.9 points per game average, and was charged with a technical foul in the fourth game.

Next

Oklahoma City continues its five-game road trip against the Warriors on Wednesday night and the Kings visit the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

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