The Thunder entered tonight trying to get their 5th win in a row. That task became a lot more reachable when the Kings ruled the talented young guard De’Aaron Fox out. The Kings were short-handed at the point guard position and played Cory Joesph tonight in Fox’s place. The new lineup definitely threw the Thunder off in the first half as the Kings were attacking the paint. The Kings are known for shooting a lot of 3 pointers per game and in the first half, they were successful in the paint. Harry Giles III was putting in some serious work and was giving the Kings a spark early. Harry Giles III was beasting in the paint as he was dunking and using his hook shot floater against Steven Adams. Harry finished with 19 points on the night and it made you think how explosive this team could of been with Fox healthy. The first half belonged to the Kings as they were up by 19 points on the Thunder. The Kings came out swinging and Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Bjelica combined for 39 points on the night but the majority of it was in the 1st half. The Thunder were getting caught on switches with Barnes and Bjelica and they took full advantage against the bigs on the perimeter. Another bright spot for the Sacramento Kings on the night was Buddy Hield who’s the hometown favorite because he went to OU. Buddy came into the game and hit 5-9 on 3 pointers to finish for 15 points. The Kings were in a battle down the stretch where they could have used more of Buddy. The timing of the plays down the stretch and the fact that there were no timeouts or dead ball whistles kept him out. Harrison Barnes was able to hit some big shots down the stretch but it was too late once the Thunder went on their 15-0 run on the way to the comeback. The Kings played an amazing game against the Thunder tonight they just need some more experience and they need to get everyone healthy. The Kings have a lot of promise moving forward as they have Marvin Bagley, Jabari Parker, and De’Aaron Fox who weren’t on the court tonight. The future is bright in Sacramento but tonight the Thunder got their 5th win in a row by attacking the paint and using the hot hands.
This OKC Thunder team has a lot of fight and that was on full display tonight against the Sacramento Kings. OKC always seems to take the toughest road to get a victory against teams they should beat. Tonight wasn’t any different as the Thunder were trailing by 19 points at one moment in the game. The Thunder were able to get into their offensive groove and it was led by Danilo Gallinari who finished the game with 24 points. It seemed like the Kings had no answer for Gallinari as he was scoring at will from the inside and outside. Gallinari used his length to get shots over the King’s defenders whenever he wanted too. When Gallinari sees the ball go in the basket once then he shoots thinking that it will continue to drop no matter what the shot attempt is. One thing that Gallinari has improved on this season has been the pump fake and driving to the rim. Players will always defend for the 3 point shot but Gallinari has added that drive to his game now and it’s working. As Gallinari was getting his game going that opened the door for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who finished with 20 points on the night. The confidence that Shai has played with lately has been amazing. Shai was attacking the paint and going at any King’s defender that was in his face. The growth in Shai’s game has been improving every game and he’s playing with two other guards that want to see him shine. Chris Paul and Dennis Schröder have been there helping Shai along the way while playing at a high level for themselves. Chris Paul had 17 points and Dennis Schröder finished with 13 points on the night. Chris was able to get his game going in the 4th quarter as he was able to hit a big-time 4 point play over Harry Giles III. Chris Paul has been the clutchest NBA player this season and he shows up in the big-time moments. This has been a season full of surprises and the Thunder has everyone watching them now. The OKC Thunder will be heading to Milwaukee to play against Giannis and the Bucks in a back to back as they try to get 6 games in a row tomorrow.
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