Sacramento Kings must watch game vs Oklahoma City Thunder Nov. 7
By Tyler Watts
On August 14, the NBA released its full season schedule. This article looks at a must watch game between the Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Sacramento Kings have a finalized regular season schedule for the 2017-2018 NBA season after the league’s announcement on Monday. That brings plenty of intrigue and storylines to follow throughout the season. We at A Royal Pain decided to take a look at the must watch games for the coming season. We will kick that series off with an early season tilt against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 7. It will be the tenth game in the Kings schedule. Let us take a look at the three big storylines to follow in that contest.
Storyline 1: First look at Paul George in OKC
The Nov. 7 battle will be not only the first meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder since their big trade but their first trip to Sacramento. The trade netted them a second superstar in Paul George. He figures to provide a nice one-two punch with Russell Westbrook that rivals the Westbrook and Kevin Durant days.
Paul George could prove to be a matchup nightmare for the Kings. We talked numerous time this offseason about Sacramento’s lack of a true small forward and George is one of best threes in the NBA. It will be interesting to see who matchups up on PG-13 and if the new look Thunder and jelling come Nov. 7.
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Storyline 2: Match-up against reigning MVP Russell Westbrook
Mister Westbrook had a historic season in 2016-2017 that culminated with a Most Value Player (MVP) award. He became only the second player ever to average a triple-double for the entire regular season. Westbrook is still in his prime and looks poised for another big season, but expect his usage to dip slightly with George in town. Check out the highlight video from Westbrook’s MVP campaign below.
Storyline 3: Fox matchups up with the MVP
I am most looking forward to Kings’ fifth overall pick De’Aaron Fox matching up on Westbrook in this contest. Fox’s reputation says he is a promising defender with the potential to be elite and no better way to test where you stand right now then guarding the MVP. I expect Westbrook to take the young Fox to school in just his tenth NBA game. It should create a teachable moment for Fox and give him an idea of where he needs to make improvements. Plus, he might surprise us all and show he can check Westbrook from day one. You never know about a promising rookie like De’Aaron Fox.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, a Sacramento Kings’ must watch contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 7. The Kings have retooled their roster this offseason and are in a promising position with a good mix of veterans and youngsters. I cannot wait to see them in action in just over two months. This article is just part one of our 12 part series, so stay tuned for more must watch games this season.
Next: Sacramento Kings projected starters for 2017-2018
A Royal Pain has you covered this offseason with all the Sacramento Kings content you desire. We have a ton of draft, free agency and summer league articles up on the site. We will now be focusing on all the information you need to get ready for upcoming season, so please check back with us often. Thank you for reading.