Thunder take down Kings for 60th victory
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 of his game-high 32 points in a lead-creating first half, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe helped squash a Sacramento rally with contributions to a fourth-quarter run and the Oklahoma City Thunder got their 60th win, 121-105 over the host Kings on Tuesday night, March 25 (Wednesday, March 26, Manila time).
Chet Holmgren posted 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder (60-12), who won their seventh straight to become the first team to record 60 victories this season.
The Thunder reached 60 wins for the fifth time in franchise history, which dates back to an earlier life as the Seattle SuperSonics.
Keegan Murray scored 28 points, hitting 9 of 13 three-pointers, for the Kings (35-37), who lost a fourth straight game and fell into a tie with the Phoenix Suns for ninth place in the Western Conference. Both are just a half-game up on the 11th-place Dallas Mavericks.
Down 64-42 at the break after Gilgeous-Alexander’s big first half, the Kings rallied within eight by quarter’s end. Keegan Murray hit four three-pointers during the rally.
But Caruso opened the fourth period with a three-point play and an interior hoop. After Joe dropped in his second three-pointer of the quarter, the Thunder had lengthened the lead to 105-89 with just 6:59 remaining.
The Kings, who fell to 2-4 on a seven-game homestand, got no closer than 13 after that.
Gilgeous-Alexander was one of six Oklahoma City players with two or more three-pointers, connecting on 3-for-6. Joe went 4-for-6 from deep in a 14-point performance, while Kenrich Williams was 3-for-4, Lu Dort 3-for-6, Caruso 2-for-3 and Jaylin Williams 2-for-4.
The Thunder shot 19-for-32 from beyond the arc. They were outscored 69-57 from deep, but it took the Kings 16 additional attempts to convert four more.
Caruso finished with 15 points, Dort 13 and Williams 11 for the visitors. Isaiah Hartenstein collected 10 rebounds to go with four points. Caruso and Williams shared team assist honors with six apiece.
Domantas Sabonis was the game’s leading rebounder with 12 and top assist man with eight to go with eight points, while Zach LaVine had 19 points, Keon Ellis 12, Jake LaRavia 11 and DeMar DeRozan 10. – Rappler.com