Highs and Lows: Sacramento Kings Can’t Handle The Thunder

Last night the Sacramento Kings dropped another game in their seven-game homestand, this time to the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 122-118. Listed down below are the highs and lows that happened in yesterday’s game pertaining to the Kings.

HIGHS

Big Three: Usually the top three scorers for Sacramento: DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, and Darren Collison, all played efficiently. The trio as a collective whole was able to record 74 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists, 7 steals, and 3 blocks for the night. They also combined to shoot 44.7% from the court, 35.7% from the perimeter, and 84.4% from the charity stripe. The “Big 3” for Sacramento were indeed the spark plugs for the team offensively last night.

Garrett Temple: Temple continues to win over the Kings community through his play this season. The number aren’t amazing (8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists), but through the eye test, his effort and tenacity on both ends of the court have made him an asset and a fan favorite of the Sacramento Kings.

Guarding the Long Ball: The Kings are notorious this season for letting their opponents make perimeter shots at a high rate, but in this instance, the Kings were able to prevent Oklahoma City to beat them by the long ball. For the night, the Thunder struggled from deep range as they only made 32.1% of their three-pointers, causing the team to rely mostly on two-point shots and free-throw for their point production.

LOWS

Stopping the Star: MVP candidate, Russell Westbrook, continues to give his opponents havoc on the hardwood, the Kings being his latest victim. For the night, Westbrook recorded another triple-double, 20th of the season, as he recorded 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Thunder rely heavily on Westbrook’s dominance for the team to win, and like most nights, he didn’t disappoint.

Foul Trouble: The Kings’ physical approach last night ended up costing them as they recorded a whopping 29 fouls for the game. As a result, the Thunder went to the free-throw line a total of 41 times and made 33 of their free-throws.

Turnovers: The Kings continue to take care of the ball poorly. For the game, the Kings turned the ball over a colossal 22 times. As a result, the Thunder were able to score a valuable 23 points off turnovers.