Kevin Durant at the double as Oklahoma City Thunder cruise pass the Sacramento Kings – NBA Recap
The Oklahoma City Thunder romped to a comfortable 103-92 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night in what could be OKC’s penultimate game at the Power Balance Arena.
This was the Thunder’s second consecutive victory, and fourth in five games. It helped them stay close to 1st placed San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference as the two teams battle for the top spot with a few games
left in the season. Sacramento, on the other hand, have lost 9 of their last 10 games after Friday night’s loss.
Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with a game high 29 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Durant was hot for the night, going 9 of 14 from the field and 9 of 10 from the foul line. DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings scoring with 18 points
and 9 rebounds. Kings leading scorer Marcus Thornton was out for the game after suffering an injury in the game against San Antonio on Wednesday night.
Oklahoma took an 18-17 lead late in the 1st quarter with a dunk by Thabo Sefolosha. They never trailed after that, leading 32-25 at the close of the 1st period and extending it to 45-31 with a 7-0 run early
in the second period. OKC led 57-49 at halftime.
The 3rd quarter was much of the same, with OKC leading throughout. The Kings made a few runs to close in on the lead, coming within three twice, but OKC held on and played with composure. They led 81-70 at the end of
the 3rd period, and went on to win 103-92.
Russell Westbrook had 18 points for OKC and James Harden came off the bench to add 20. He was a perfect, 6 of 6, from the foul line and 6 of 12 from the field. Serge Ibaka had 12 points, 8 blocks and 6 rebounds while Kendrick Perkins
added 10 points and 7 rebounds.
The Kings had 5 players in double figures, including 4 starters. Tyreke Evans had 16 points, Jason Thompson scored 13 with 8 boards while Isaiah Thomas scored 12 points and dished 4 assists. Jimmer Fredette came off the bench to
score 11 points.
OKC shot 53.3% from the field and 33.3% from the distance. They were also a nearly perfect 19 of 22 from the foul line. The Kings, in comparison, were 40.9% from the field and 31.2% from beyond the arc. The Thunder outnumbered
the Kings 27-12 in fast break points, even though they had 5 more turnovers than the Kings, at 17. The Kings also had a 17-6 advantage in offensive rebounds over the Thunder but could not capitalize on it.
In a half time ceremony, Kings rookie Thomas was awarded the annual Oscar Robertson Triple Double Award, which is awarded to a member of the Kings roster who has shown excellence both on and off the field.
The Kings have been having a tough time lately, not having finished with a winning record in their sixth consecutive season. Just last week, a deal of a new downtown arena also broke down between the Kings owners, the Maloof family,
and the City Council.
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