If NBA games were only three quarters long the Sacramento Kings might be undefeated at this point of the season. In yet another matchup the Kings held the lead or were within a possession or two of their opponents heading into the fourth quarter but came away without a victory.
On the first stop of their 4-game road trip, the Kings were holding court in Oklahoma City and lead the Thunder from opening tip until the last 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the game. OKC stormed back to take the lead thanks to clutch threes from Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander supplied the dagger with the trademark step-back with just 16 seconds left on the clock. The Thunder were down two starters in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren but they got enough from Gilgeous-Alexander and his supporting cast to pull away for the win.
The Kings lead was built on the back of a strong start from Demar Derozan and Zach Lavine who are settling into a nice groove of “your turn, my turn” scoring this season. The dangerous pair are leading the way for the Kings and Lavine in particular has been especially hot to start the year. The former UCLA star is averaging 29 points per game and has been efficient as well, shooting 51% from the field and 43% from deep in this young season.
Russell Westbrook made his first start for Sacramento and the move paid dividends as he put up 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assist in just over 30 minutes. It was not his most efficient night as he went 6-16 from the field but was deadly from 3 on a night where he went 4-8 from deep. Thanks to some frontcourt injuries, head coach Doug Christie has been rolling out smaller lineups and Westbrook’s energy is intended to counteract the lack of size in Sacramento right now.
Young guard Keon Ellis has also been seeing more minutes since his 12-minute cameo in the season opener as he nearly hit 27 minutes on the night. He came through with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in a game where he was tasked with guarding OKC’s dangerous backcourt when on the floor. It was an impressive performance from the fourth-year guard and he should continue to get more opportunities as the season progresses.
Domantas Sabonis on the other hand has not looked like himself since making a return from a hamstring injury. After being abused by DeAndre Ayton on Sunday night, Sabonis was largely ineffective offensively against the Thunder though he did record 18 rebounds.
The second chances created by Sabonis’s 6 offensive rebounds helped the Kings maintain their lead but he struggled late and took an ill-advised three-pointer when the result was still in doubt. He is having to handle a heavy load in the front court thanks to Keegan Murray’s injury and the lack of depth there behind him. The Kings may be looking for big-man help soon as the combination of Drew Eubanks, Dylan Cardwell, and Dario Saric has been unimpressive.
The Kings still have a chance to bounce back on this road trip with a quick turnaround in Chicago today but the matchups with Milwaukee and Denver are daunting. Things may get tense in the Capital City as the schedule tightens up but Sacramento has the veteran leadership to weather that storm.
