It’s been just two days since the Oklahoma City Thunder dropped a 124-115 decision at home to the Sacramento Kings, but the two teams are back at the Paycom Center on Tuesday night for round two. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was announced to be in health and safety protocols on Tuesday, so he continues to be out, and the Kings may be without De’Aaron Fox due to soreness in his left wrist.
The Kings continue to look like a legitimate threat in the Western Conference, and at this point, Thunder fans have to be wondering if playoffs are even possible. It’s amazing how quickly the tide can turn on a fringe team, and while OKC definitely has the weapons to make a playoff push, it’s not really possible if they’re not healthy and on the court.
Tonight’s matchup could prove to be a key one when it comes to final standings, but either way, it would be good to see guys not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continue to find a way to score the basketball. Isaiah Joe led OKC in scoring for the second game in a row with 24 points on Sunday, and four other guys—Luguentz Dort (18), Josh Giddey (18), Jalen Williams (15), and Lindy Waters (12)—all finished with double digits. If the Thunder can figure out a way to put up a similar scoring effort while slowing down the high-scoring offense of the Kings, they might be able to pull out a win in front of the home crowd.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Sacramento Kings Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Josh Giddey
- SG: Isaiah Joe
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Jaylin Williams
Kings
- PG: De’Aaron Fox
- SG: Kevin Huerter
- SF: Harrison Barnes
- PF: Keegan Murray
- C: Domantas Sabonis
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng is OUT (G League — on assignment).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is OUT (health and safety protocols; abdominal strain).
- Chet Holmgren is OUT (right foot surgery).
- Aleksej Pokusevski is OUT (left tibial plateau; non-displaced fracture).
- Olivier Sarr is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Lindy Waters III is OUT (G League — on assignment).
Kings
- Keon Ellis is OUT (G League — two-way).
- De’Aaron Fox is QUESTIONABLE (sore left wrist).
- Neemias Queta is OUT (G League — two-way).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 33-20 against the Kings (19-6 at home, 14-14 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the regular season series against the Kings 10 times, lost it 3 times, and tied it once.
- The Thunder went 1-3 against the Kings last season (1-1 at home, 0-2 on the road).
- The Thunder is 0-2 against the Kings so far this season (0-1 at home, 0-1 on the road).