Mar 25, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) drives to the hoop next to Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
A second-half scare from the home-standing Sacramento Kings made what should have been a standard win for the Oklahoma City Thunder a large challenge, but they still walked away with a 121-105 victory on the road.
Defense was the name of the game in this affair, with a clear intent by Mark Daigneault to limit Sacramento’s big three as much as they could.
That worked well, with DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine all struggling mightily, especially in the first half. It never really mattered who the Thunder threw at those three on defense, whether it was Alex Caruso to guard LaVine or Jaylin Williams to lock down Sabonis, all of the matchups usually favored the eventual winning team.
Most of how the game went was pretty standard for how the Thunder have been playing this season, outside of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s uniquely rough start. He scored eight first-quarter points, but also committed four turnovers and an offensive foul. That didn’t matter though, with a well-balanced performance on both sides of the ball picking up his slack.
He did pick up his production later on in the half, which made for another overall great scoring night. He finished the game with 32 points on 10-for-22 shooting but also turned the ball over five times.
Sacramento’s physical defense was a stifling force for most of the game, which kept them within reach on the scoreboard. They forced 18 Thunder turnovers in the game, but the Thunder also reciprocated the favor. OKC forced 15 turnovers of their own,
That closeness on the scoreboard faded away quickly as the first half progressed in favor of Oklahoma City, behind the defensive performance of the team and the scoring efforts of just about everyone. Forward Chet Holmgren, alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, led the way early, but everyone who touched the court in the first half put the ball through the hoop. The road team led 64-42 at the end of the first half, setting the scene for a lofty Sacramento comeback.
Holmgren had a good game as the second option, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting. His general defensive presence also helped out with the quiet night from Sabonis.
The Kings certainly didn’t back down to start the third quarter, with triples coming from LaVine, Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis putting the Kings on a 13-0 run and getting them within 10 points. At the same time, the Thunder went on a brutal cold stretch, with Gilgeous-Alexander reverting to his early first-half struggles.
Even if Sacramento’s big three was more on the quiet side, Murray came alive from the perimeter to close the scoring gap. He finished the game with 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting while going 9-for-13 from the perimeter.
The lead dwindled and dwindled for the Thunder, mainly because of Murray’s offensive efforts. By the end of the third quarter, the Kings and narrowed the score down to 89-81. A quick offensive boost from Caruso to start the final period gave the road squad some momentum, however, again giving OKC a comfortable lead.
OKC’s advantage in bench points was a key contributor to the winning performance, especially when Sacramento put its bench players on the court. They won the bench-point battle 43-28, again making up for the lost offensive production from injuries and helping when Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t on the court.
The push from the Kings in the third quarter and early fourth certainly gave OKC a scare, but as soon as Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the game midway through the final quarter, they managed to pull away to earn their No. 60 win on the season, becoming the eighth fastest team in NBA history to do so.
The Thunder’s next test is against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 27 to kick off a four-game home stand.
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Published 23 Minutes Ago|Modified 12:32 AM EDT
