Nov

11

Thompson Helps Kings Reach .500 Mark, Race Past Thunder 101-98

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap 

The Sacramento Kings, for the most part, have played below .500 ball for the past several seasons. Interestingly enough, with a revamped lineup and a new coach in Paul Westphal, the team seems to be playing inspired ball as of late, having won their last two games. During their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night, the Kings definitely had their hands full as Kevin Durant exploited the team for 37 points; however, Jason Thompson and rookie Tyreke Evans combined for 41 points, enabling Sacramento to hold off Oklahoma City for the win 101-98 at Arco Arena.

The first quarter was rather tight as Beno Udrih drained a jumper, giving the Kings a brief 8-2 lead; the Thunder slowly chipped away at Sacramento’s lead until Etan Thomas’ jumper with 2:56 left in the period allowed Oklahoma City to take the lead at 19-17. James Harden’s three-pointer with 14 seconds left would allow the Thunder to go into the second quarter with a slim 26-24 lead. A layup by the Kings’ Kenny Thomas gave Sacramento the lead again at 34-33; they would extend their lead to 54-44 on  a pair of free throws by Evans. The Thunder would narrow the gap on a 7-0 spurt, capped by a three-pointer by James Harden, narrowing their deficit to three going into halftime.

A jumper by Thompson helped the Kings take a 60-53 lead; after a Thunder timeout, free throws by Thompson and Evans helped Sacramento maintain a 6-point advantage. Omri Casspi hit a trey with 13 seconds left in the period which let the Kings go into the final quarter up 83-77. The fourth quarter was tight as both teams had their moments throughout; Casspi’s dunk with 1:!6 remaining in the game enabled the Kings to hold on for the victory.

The entire starting lineup of the Kings scored in double-digits, led by Thompson with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and a block while Evans added 20 with 8 rebounds, 8 assists and a steal; Andres Nocioni scored 16 with 5 rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Kevin Durant led all Thunder scorers with a game-high 37 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals while Jeff Green added 19 with 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Sacramento (4-4) plays again on Friday when they continue their homestand, hosting the Houston Rockets on Friday while Oklahoma City (3-4) flies south to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Wednesday night.


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