Game Grades: OKC Thunder fall short after late comeback in Sacramento
By Ivan White
Despite a late comeback effort, the Oklahoma City Thunder could not overcome a horrid offensive night.
The Sacramento Kings beat the Thunder 128-123 in a battle of star guards. De’Aaron Fox got the best of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but their teammates played a significant role in the outcome.
The OKC Thunder’s late comeback bid falls short in Sacramento.
A late third-quarter run by the Kings put them up by eight as they entered the fourth quarter. With Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench, the Thunder’s deficit grew.
Behind a couple of threes by Keon Ellis, Sacramento’s lead reached as high as 14 in the fourth quarter. But Oklahoma City never allowed the lead to balloon past that and set up for a final run.
After Fox’s technical foul arguing a no-call began to shift momentum, the Thunder took off. Including two successful challenges in critical spots by Mark Daigneault, the Thunder got some stops and made enough happen offensively to bring the game within two points.
However, the Thunder could not get anything to fall on a couple of crucial possessions to seal the game for the Kings. Those plays highlighted the overall theme of the game for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City shot only 43.1% from the floor and 29.7% from 3-point range. It has an opportunity to reverse those trends as it takes on the defending champion Denver Nuggets to end the two-game road trip.