SGA Scores 37, Thunder Bench Scores 40 In OKC's 130-109 Rout Of Kings

The Oklahoma City Thunder ended a four-year drought in Sacramento on Monday night, defeating the Kings behind a dominant third-quarter surge.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams led the way for Oklahoma City, combining for 65 points. The Thunder outscored the Kings by 12 in the third quarter, which proved to be the turning point in the game.

Despite injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein, who left briefly after being hit in the eye, and Cason Wallace, who exited with a sprained ankle, the Thunder maintained their composure.

“It’s a tough place to win,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “The Kings came out sharp and desperate, but we love the challenges, and this only makes us better.”

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 13-4 and moves back into first place in the Western Conference after the Golden State Warriors’ loss.

The victory marks the Thunder's first win at Golden 1 Center since 2020, capping a challenging road trip with a statement performance.

Takeaways

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

Kings: Sacramento trailed by one point at halftime after a competitive first half where the lead changed 15 times and Oklahoma City’s biggest lead was six points. It was just what head coach Mike Brown wanted to see from his team after he emphasized the need for stronger first halves before the game. But the Kings could not sustain the momentum in the second half.

Key moment

Both teams found themselves in foul trouble in the third quarter, but the Kings’ fouls ultimately gave the Thunder the opportunity to pull away. After replay review attributed a gash over the eye of Hartenstein to Domantas Sabonis, back-to-back fouls from Malik Monk started the slide.

Key stat

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

Up next

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

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba