After coming out strong against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sacramento Kings fell apart during the second half of a 95-88 loss. A lack of rebounding and several missed free throws played a big role in the Kings’ collapse.
At the half, Sacramento looked strong and led Oklahoma City by six points. Defensively, the Kings put a lot of pressure on the Thunder and forced 18 turnovers. However, they were completely dominated on the glass, being out-rebounded 58-37.
De’Aaron Fox played a key role in the first half with ten points and four assists, but foul trouble limited him in the third quarter and most of the fourth. He finished with 12 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Free throw shooting was rough for both teams, but it proved to be the difference for Sacramento. The Kings missed ten shots from the charity stripe and lost the game by seven. Sacramento attempts the least amount of free throws per game (17.9) and has the third-worst free throw shooting percentage in the league (71.9).
Willie Cauley-Stein continued his trend of strong play with 15 points and seven rebounds. Buddy Hield led all Kings’ scorers with 16 off the bench, but 0/5 from beyond the arc.
The Thunder got a lot of production from their big three. Carmelo Anthony had 20 points and nine rebounds, Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 16 assists, and Paul George had 18 points. Westbrook was ejected during the fourth quarter after picking up two technicals. He refused to talk to the media following the game, and Anthony said he was “done with the refs.”
https://twitter.com/NBCSKings/status/953087243320610816
Following the game coach Dave Joerger said that he was going to be playing the younger Kings more and resting at least two vets every game. The vets include Zach Randolph, George Hill, Garrett Temple, Kosta Koufos, and Vince Carter. This should be an interesting second half of the season for Sacramento, because it’ll give the younger Kings a lot of assistance, while also securing them a top five pick the upcoming draft.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 13 points but shot just 4/13 from the field, while George Hill added ten points and four rebounds off the bench. Sacramento falls to 13-30 and head back home to face off against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
