Game grades: OKC Thunder fall to Kings in In-Season Tournament

The OKC Thunder could never get over the hump in wire-to-wire loss in Sacramento. On Friday, the Sacramento Kings beat the Thunder 105-98 in an In-Season Tournament battle. The Kings, still missing De’Aaron Fox, performed for their home fans.

The OKC Thunder played a subpar game in almost every facet. Struggling from beyond the arc and a lack of production from the bench were the Thunder’s most devastating areas of concern.

The OKC Thunder fell behind early and never led in a loss to the Kings.

Outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, no Thunder players had much of an above-average performance. But even he was not without his faults.

Of the ten players who touched the floor for Oklahoma City, all attempted at least one 3-pointer, but only three made one. Combine that with the performances of Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter, who combined for 52 points and seven 3-pointers, and the Thunder’s 7-of-30 performance from deep made winning nearly impossible.

After making runs at various points in the game, the Thunder continued to put themselves in a position to take the lead but could never do so. In the final minutes, the Thunder again got to within five points but could not get any closer as the Kings closed the game without any dramatic finish.