Without forcing, Oklahoma City Thunder string together seventh consecutive victory
> © SUSA / IconsportBehind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33 points, Oklahoma City Thunder stepped on the accelerator in the third quarter to secure the 15th victory of their season, against the Sacramento Kings (113-99).
Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33 points, Oklahoma City Thunder stepped on the accelerator in the third quarter to secure the 15th victory of their season, against the Sacramento Kings (113-99).
Given the respective dynamics, many could have imagined that this clash of extremes would turn into an absolute blowout. It did not happen, but the Thunder had little difficulty pushing back one of the worst sides in the West, the Kings (113-99).
This success bears the mark of the inevitable Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who, by scoring 33 points, continued his personal streak of matches with 20 points or more. Supported by four other players having crossed the 10-point mark, including 21 points for his giant Chet Holmgren, the Thunder leader made the Californian defence dizzy, notably in the third quarter.
The inevitable Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Thunder took a little more measure of their opponents in this period, after two opening quarters much more contested than imagined. Despite a Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan pairing far from peak form (25 points on 8/22 shooting combined), the visitors had managed to stay in touch at the break (58-50). More recent arrivals to the team, Dennis Schroder (21 points) and Precious Achiuwa (15 points and nine rebounds) contributed greatly.
Insufficient however to keep pace with the defending champions who, night after night, clearly only need to raise their intensity level a notch to open up the gap. One only needs to see Zach LaVine’s dejected face after an improbable finish off the backboard from SGA despite Nick Clifford’s foul. After this play at the end of the third quarter, the hosts built a 16-point lead (83-67).
And yet, the final period did not become a perfect formality. Because Malik Monk or Maxime Raynaud continued making efforts to stabilise, even reduce the gap a little. That was without counting on Lu Dort’s long-range accuracy who, after remaining silent in the first half, scored all of his 14 points in the second.
Thunder vs. Kings: Key takeaways
SGA played in the fourth quarter. This data point has now become a factor in evaluating the Thunder’s level of comfort in an encounter. Like his starting five teammates, the local superstar had to wait until the final minute of play to return to his bench. With his team not in total domination, Mark Daigneault visibly sensed that a Californian run was not impossible. It would not happen, whilst the Canadian was deployed for 36 minutes, his biggest playing time since the only defeat suffered against the Blazers a fortnight ago.
The Keon Ellis “mystery”. His presence seems to be demanded by Kings fans, but after a start against the Spurs (the second of the year), Ellis returned to the bench and barely left it. In just 11 minutes, the guard known for his defensive qualities could only contribute two points and three rebounds. Earlier in the season, Doug Christie explained not having enough minutes for all his guards, mentioning a problem of riches… which contrasts with the poverty of the record.
Seven wins; seven losses. Thanks to this seventh consecutive success, the Thunder improve their overall record to 15 wins for a single defeat, and can continue in Utah on Friday, before trying to get revenge against the Blazers on Sunday. Perfectly opposite dynamic for the Kings (3-12) who suffer a seventh consecutive defeat and finish their week in Memphis, then especially in Denver.
This article was originally published on Basket USA.