Haliburton, Harkless Post Double-Doubles In Kings Win Over Thunder
Feb 5, 2022, 9:36 PM | Updated: 9:37 pm
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Tyrese Haliburton posted a career-high 17 assists during–the most by any Kings player in almost six years
Moe Harkless’ explosive second-half performance on Thursday night was fun to watch, but it would have been a little more enjoyable during a winning effort.
Well, Harkless was nice enough to do it again–this time, in a victorious effort.
The veteran forward scored 16 points during the first half to help set the tone early as the Sacramento Kings were able to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday afternoon by a final of 113-103 at Golden 1 Center.
Don’t look now, but the Kings (20-35) have moved to within 1.5 games of the 10th-seed spot in the Western Conference standings as we move to within just five days of the NBA Trade Deadline.
Harrison Barnes is definitely a fan of the first quarter.
For the seventh time over his last nine appearances, the veteran forward scored seven points or more in the opening period as Barnes led all scorers with 12 points to lead Sacramento to a 36-30 lead after 12 minutes of play.
One game removed from an 18-point second-half performance against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, Moe Harkless picked up right where he left off on Saturday night.
Harkless scored 16 points during the first half while converting four-of-five three-point attempts to help the Kings build a 64-57 lead at the break.
Sacramento shot 54-percent from the field and 52-percent from three-point range while out-rebounding Oklahoma City 27-18 during the first 24 minutes of action.
Tyrese Haliburton posted his 14th double-double of the season during the third quarter as the talented guard paced a 12-2 run to put the Kings out in front by double-digits entering the fourth.
Sacramento’s offense continued to punish the Oklahoma City defense as the Kings took a 96-81 lead with less than 10 minutes to go. Although the Thunder chipped the deficit to eight points for a brief moment, Haliburton’s playmaking cemented the win for a Kings team that is now just 1.5 games back of the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Everything was working for the offense as all five Kings starers finished in double-figures while the team as a whole shot 51-percent from the field and converted 12 three-pointers during the win.
Thursday’s 12pm PST trade deadline is quickly approaching, with Sacramento beginning a back-to-back set of games against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
Trades can happen at any time, meaning that any of these games could be the last for some of these current Kings.
Having won two-of-three and moving to within striking distance of the final play-in spot, despite the awful stretch of play over the past couple of weeks, places Sacramento in an interesting position.
Will general manager Monte McNair look to add to this roster and make one last postseason push? Or will the course of action be punting on the season and looking forward to 2022-23?
Answers to these questions will finally arrive in the coming days.
Quick Stats
Tyrese Haliburton shook off a rough showing against Golden State in a big way on Saturday.
The second-year guard posted his 14th double-double of the season, scoring 13 points, grabbing six rebounds and establishing a new career-high with 17 assist over 40 minutes.
Haliburton’s 17-assist night was the largest assist output from a Kings player since Rajon Rondo dished out 17 dimes back on March 2, 2016.
Moe Harkless has been on a scoring tear as of late, following up his 18-point performance on Thursday with another 18-point night against Oklahoma City.
The 28-year-old also posted his first double-double of the season, grabbing 11 rebounds in what was his first game with 10+ points and 10+ rebounds since March 30, 2019.
Harrison Barnes topped the 19-point mark for the third-straight game on Saturday, scoring 24 points to go along with nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Barnes’ three-game streak of 19+ points is the first that he has had since the first week of the regular season (did so in four-straight games).
Davion Mitchell continued to look aggressive on offense as the rookie finished the night with 17 points on seven-of-15 shooting from the field. Mitchell has scored at least 15 points in every game that he has started while De’Aaron Fox is sidelined.
Injury Updates
- After being listed as questionable prior to Thursday night’s game, De’Aaron Fox was labeled as a game-time decision by head coach Alvin Gentry. Shortly before tip-off, Fox was ruled out for the eighth-consecutive game.
- Marvin Bagley III missed his fourth-straight game due to a sprained ankle. He is considered day-to-day.
- Terence Davis underwent successful surgery to repair a right wrist ECU tendon injury on Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in approximately three months.
Coming Up
Sacramento will look to take advantage of back-to-back off-days on Sunday and Monday before opening up a back-to-back set of games against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday.
In the only meeting this season between the two teams back on November 17th, Minnesota used a big second-half push to claim a 107-97 win over the Kings at Target Center.
You can find all of your Kings vs Timberwolves coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK beginning at 3:00pm PST on The Nick Cattles Show prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- February 8th vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- February 9th vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- February 10th: NBA Trade Deadline – 12:00pm PST
- February 12th @ Washington Wizards
- February 14th @ Brooklyn Nets
- February 16th @ Chicago Bulls
- February 17th-23rd: NBA All-Star Break
