Sacramento Kings Get Struck By Last-Second Dagger, Lose To Thunder 110-107
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 110-107. Scroll down below to see how tonight’s match played out.
Game Summary
The Oklahoma City Thunder brought the storm straight out the gate. Due to the dominance of their big three and the team collectively raining threes, it was too much for the Sacramento Kings to handle. Behind Paul George’s 13 points and seven assists, the Thunder took a commanding 44-21 lead once the 12 minutes of beatdown concluded.
As bad as it was for the purple and black early, they proved that a bad quarter cannot end their night. The narrative changed in the second as the Kings found their shooting stroke and buckled down defensively. As a result, the Kings were able to rally back and find themselves down 67-60 going into halftime. Specifically, the bench for Sacramento was a huge component to the team’s success. In the half, they combined for 29 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Once the second half was in session, the Kings continued to punch back. The team as a whole played well on both ends of the floor as they continued to trim the Thunder’s lead. In the final minutes of the third, the Kings took control of the lead as they had the advantage 90-85 after three.
The final quarter was an entertaining one to watch. For most of the period, the Kings hung on by a thread to their lead as the Thunder tried to march back. In the final seconds, the Thunder were up 107-105 until the Kings tied the score with a second left behind a putback layup by Justin Jackson. But in the final possession of the game, Russell Westbrook made a dagger three-pointer which sealed Oklahoma City the win and had Kings fans leaving the Golden 1 Center with broken hearts.
With this loss, the Kings fall to a record of 18-40 which has them tied for the thirteenth spot in the Western Conference.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Kings showed some character in this game. They could have easily tanked tonight after being dominated in the first quarter, but they fought back and showed the NBA world that they can be competitive against anyone in the league.
Despite the Kings losing in dramatic fashion, they displayed a thrilling game in front of their fans and the youth of the team continues to get better by the game. Almost everything you can ask for when watching the purple and black rebuild their way back to relevancy.
Next time the Kings take the court will be Saturday night when they face off against the Los Angeles Lakers.