Kings continue to slide, drop fourth straight game as OKC rolls

Nov 25, 2024, 9:34 PM | Updated: 9:47 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 25: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings steals the ball fro...

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

For 24 minutes, it looked as if the Sacramento Kings had turned the page on a rough stretch that had dropped them beneath the .500 mark in the early stages of the regular season.

Then, the second half started.

Monday night’s game between the Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder ended familiarly for Sacramento, as MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (37 points) led his team to a 130-109 win at Golden 1 Center.

Although the Kings benefited from the return of Sixth Man guard Malik Monk (ankle sprain), Sacramento’s defense continued its recent track record of allowing opponents to get red-hot from the three-point line.

The Thunder finished the night 14-of-32 (44%) from the perimeter, which was more than enough to create the space needed to collect the win.

With the loss, the Kings (8-10) fall to 4-6 on their home floor this season in what was also Sacramento’s fourth consecutive loss.

Fourth quarter energy 🔋 pic.twitter.com/dy2zIlhwwg

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 26, 2024

Kings vs. Thunder recap & takeaways

A revamped Sacramento roster looked sharp on the defensive end early, forcing Oklahoma City into six turnovers during the first quarter of action.

While the Kings’ offense started the night shooting 59 percent from the field, the three-point defense continued to weigh down any attempts at gaining some early momentum. The Thunder knocked down five of its ten attempts from deep during the first quarter, with MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocking down two long balls amid a 12-point opening frame.

After scoring just nine bench points during Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn (all from Keon Ellis), Sacramento greatly benefited from having prized Sixth Man guard Malik Monk back in the fold.

Monk scored eight points over his first ten minutes of action to aid strong first-half efforts from DeMar DeRozan (19 points) and Domantas Sabonis (13 points) to lead the Kings into the break on a high note.

The Thunder took a slim 63-62 lead into the break, and for a moment, it looked as if Sacramento was on the verge of snapping out of a three-game skid against a talented Oklahoma City squad.

Domas dime ➡️ DeMar HAMMER 🔨

pic.twitter.com/V9WfXBel1U

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 26, 2024

Any momentum the Kings had entering the break evaporated as soon as the third quarter got underway, mainly due to the onslaught of whistles that went against Sacramento.

After committing eight fouls during the first half, the Kings were called for ten fouls (four on the offensive end), allowing Oklahoma City several extra opportunities to create space on the scoreboard. The Thunder converted 60 percent of their field goal attempts during the period to lengthen its lead to 97-84 entering the fourth quarter.

A 15-4 Oklahoma City run during the third would act as the beginning of the end for Sacramento, as they never recovered from the rough start to the second half.

The Achilles heel for this year’s Kings team has been its awful three-point defense, and the Thunder would make them pay in that area as well on Monday night.

Following OKC’s 44 percent showing, Sacramento has allowed 11 of its 18 opponents to shoot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc this season—the most instances of any team in the NBA.

There’s little doubt that the Kings are off to a disappointing start to the season, especially following the offseason buzz that was created upon the signings of DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk.

With 64 games remaining, a lot has yet to be determined with the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings–but the clock is ticking. Continuing to let teams walk over you on your home floor is never a good sign. Failure to defend the perimeter–time and time again–is an issue that opposing offenses will continue to expose.

During his postgame media availability, Brown told the media that this group would be learning a lot about themselves during this coming stretch, and he’s right. In the current state of the Western Conference, Sacramento can’t afford to fall into too deep of a hole at this stage in the season.

The Kings have been punched in the mouth over the past couple of weeks. It’s time to see if this group has what it takes to punch back.

Shaking Things Up

With Malik Monk returning following a seven-game absence, Kings head coach Mike Brown opted to shake things up in the starting lineup.

As was the case near the end of last season when Sacramento lost Monk and Kevin Huerter to season-ending injuries, Brown inserted defensive guard Keon Ellis into the starting five, sliding Huerter into a bench role alongside Monk and Trey Lyles.

Ellis finished the night with eight points on three-of-four shooting from the field (two-of-three from deep) and three assists over 28 minutes, while Huerter logged a season-low 10 minutes of action.

“I just thought it was time for a change,” Brown said of the swap, pointing to Ellis’ defensive versatility as the primary reason for the change.

Brown may have went with Ellis to provide the Kings with a boost on the defensive end, but it became clear that their defensive woes were much more complex than a simple one-for-one swap in the starting unit. Ellis has earned his shot to start, but we’ll have to wait until Wednesday night to see if Brown will stick with the Alabama product going forward.

Notes

DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting during the losing effort.
Domantas Sabonis racked up a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double over 35 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox scored a season-low 14 points on five-of-14 shooting from the field.
After passing out 17 assists during the first half, the Kings finished the game with 24.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will hit the road for a brief two-game trip that will begin on Wednesday night in Minnesota against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.

Minnesota will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back after facing the Houston Rockets on Tuesday at the Target Center.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. T-Wolves action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 5:00 PM PT from Minneapolis.