Thunderstruck: Kings Light Up OKC In 126-98 Blowout Win
May 9, 2021, 9:27 PM | Updated: 9:53 pm
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Eight players finished in double figures for Sacramento during the rout of Oklahoma City
To quote the great Ron Burgundy: “Things really got out of hand fast!”
The Sacramento Kings built a large lead early and the Oklahoma City Thunder could never close the gap on Sunday night as the Kings would celebrate Mother’s Day with a 126-98 blowout win at Golden 1 Center–the largest margin of victory in the building’s five-year history.
With the win, Sacramento (30-38) has won 30 games for the third-consecutive season.
After the Thunder jumped out to an early 13-8 lead in the first quarter, Sacramento responded with an electric 16-0 run to take a 33-25 lead into the second.
Moe Harkless was aggressive from the tip, as the veteran forward would score 12 points on four-of-five shooting from the field to act as the go-to option early.
Harkless, who was acquired during the Nemanja Bjelica trade with Miami during the trade deadline, has done an incredible job of filling in for the injured Harrison Barnes at the small forward position. Coming into Sunday’s action, the veteran forward held averages of 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game over his last three contests.
Alongside Harkless, fellow trade deadline pieces Delon Wright and Terence Davis would also use big first half performances to blow things open and lead the Kings into the halftime break with a 71-51 lead.
Wright, who was been filling in as the starting point guard, stuffed the stat-sheet in the first half with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Davis–who scored a team-high 24 points on Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs–scored 13 points on four-of-six from the field over 12 first half minutes.
Sacramento would never look back, going on to build their largest lead of the season (35 points) en route to an overall fun night at Golden 1 Center.
A blistering night from the field (52-percent) and the three-point line (44-percent on 36 attempts) alongside 30 assists as a team were the combining forces of one of the strongest offensive showings of the season for Sacramento.
The Thunder (21-48) have lost 19 of their previous 21 games as they set their sights on a top-three selection in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery.
Although blowing out the Thunder brings the Kings back to within 2.5 games of the 10th-seed Spurs with four games to play, a miracle will likely be needed in order for Sacramento to sneak into the Western Conference Play-In.
San Antonio has a rough schedule ahead, but one more win could be the final nail in the Kings’ Play-In coffin.
Rounding out the box score
Harkless and Davis each scored 18 points in the win, with Delon Wright scoring 15 points of his own in the win. Davis also added four boards, six assists and two steals, while Wright pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five dimes.
Buddy Hield acted as a distributor on Sunday night, dishing out a team-high seven assists to go along with 14 points.
Richaun Holmes scored 15 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field over his 25 minutes of action.
Marvin Bagley III shook off a rough night against San Antonio to bounce back with a 13-point, nine-rebound performance over just 21 minutes of playing time.
Chimezie Metu contributed with a solid night off of the bench, adding 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots in the winning effort. Damian Jones scored 11 points to go along with six rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots to round out Sacramento’s key contributors.
Injury Updates
- Harrison Barnes (adductor strain) and De’Aaron Fox (health & safety protocols) were out once again on Sunday night. During his pregame media session, Kings head coach Luke Walton stated that both players could be held out for the remainder of the season if the team is eliminated from Play-In contention.
- Hassan Whiteside was inactive vs Oklahoma City due to health & safety protocols. There is no timetable for the center’s return.
- Robert Woodard II was inactive due to back soreness.
Coming Up
The Kings and Thunder will return to Golden 1 Center for another matchup on Tuesday night to close out the three-game season series between the Western Conference foes.
Be sure to get all of your coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, starting with The Jason Ross & Doug Christie Show at 3:00pm PST prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- May 11 vs Oklahoma City Thunder
- May 13 @ Memphis Grizzlies
- May 14 @ Memphis Grizzlies
- May 16 vs Utah Jazz
—–End of season—–
