Sacramento Kings Fall Victim to Russell Westbrook Heroics

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

by Matt George – Sports 1140 KHTK

It was another disaster of a start for the Sacramento Kings, as they allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to score 44 points and shoot nearly 80% in the 1st quarter. Carmelo Anthony couldn’t miss from long range, the Thunder couldn’t miss period, and the Kings were playing catch up from the opening tip.

Down 44-21 heading into the 2nd quarter, there was already an uncomfortable buzz in the Golden 1 Center that it would be another “48 minutes of hell” type of game. But then the 2nd and 3rd quarter happened.

Sacramento’s offense came alive and the defense followed suit. The Kings outscored the Thunder 69-41 over the next 24 minutes, and suddenly had a 90-85 lead heading into the 4th quarter.

The 4th quarter was back and forth. Kings held onto a slight lead until the final few minutes. Sacramento got a crucial defensive stop down by 2 with 8 seconds left, and then this happened:

Best part about the Kings/Thunder finish wasn’t even Westbrook’s buzzer-beater it was Vince Carter pulling up from Idaho down 2 with 8 seconds left 😂 legit lol pic.twitter.com/SsuKjaCsPc

— 🚁Sky Wob🚁 (@WorldWideWob) February 23, 2018

Vince Carter went for the hail mary to take the lead, and Justin Jackson came up big with the put-back to tie the game at 107 with a second to go. But Russell Westbrook was the 2016-2017 MVP for a reason, and he was not to be denied at the biggest moment of the night.

Russell Westbrook's first made three of the game is a buzzer-beating game-winner 😩😩😩 pic.twitter.com/zoRMjFzYkc

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 23, 2018

After a hard-fought 48 minutes, the Thunder escaped the Golden 1 Center with the 110-107 victory.

The mood in the Sacramento locker room was solemn, many of the Kings young players frustrated and disappointed that their hard-fought comeback fell short with just a second left. They get another shot at it Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hear from Kings head coach Dave Joerger, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter following the loss:

Related

High School Showcase: De La Salle HC Justin Alumbaugh49ers WR De’Zhaun Stribling Out 10 Weeks After SurgeryCould Clippers Complicate Kings Pursuit of Jalen Duren?Report: Elfrid Payton Agrees To Camp Deal with KingsKings Linked To Jalen Duren Amid Pistons DramaAshton Jeanty Looks Unleashed In Raiders’ Week 1 Win