Despite struggling on the recent 5-game road trip, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to finish it off on a high note as they defeated the Charlotte Hornets 121-118 on Sunday evening. Now the Thunder will finish out the regular season with 4 straight home games, and with their postseason placement yet to be decided, each game will play a part in shifting the Western Conference standings.
Tonight the Thunder play host to the Sacramento Kings, who are having somewhat of a disappointing season after some surprising success a year ago. At 45-33, the Kings are 8th in the West, just a single game behind the Phoenix Suns in 6th place, which is where Sacramento wants to be. Avoiding the Play-In round at all costs is the goal for the Kings, but with some injury issues down the stretch, they have not been able to finish off the regular season as strong as they would like.
OKC has been dealing with their own injuries, but after missing 6 of the last 7 games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will make his return against Sacramento tonight. Jalen Williams, who has missed 4 straight, is still listed as questionable with a sprained ankle, but there’s a good chance we could see him return as well.
Playing well in front of the home crowd is nothing new for OKC, but the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets are the only two teams in the NBA that have better records at home than the Thunder. Finishing out the regular season with some momentum would do the Thunder well as they hope to make a deep playoff run, but it’s not going to be easy as they face some stiff competition to wrap it all up. Regardless of what’s left, they need to start this last leg of the schedule off strong, and a win against the Kings would offer not just momentum but some confidence moving forward.
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: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Kings
- PG: De’Aaron Fox
- SG: Keon Ellis
- SF: Harrison Barnes
- PF: Keegan Murray
- C: Domantas Sabonis
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng is OUT (G League — on assignment).
- Adam Flagler is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Gordon Hayward is OUT (strained left posterior tibialis).
- Keyontae Johnson is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Olivier Sarr is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Jalen Williams is QUESTIONABLE (sprained left ankle).
Kings
- Jordan Ford is OUT (G League – two-way).
- Kevin Huerter is OUT (left shoulder surgery).
- Malik Monk is OUT (sprained right knee).
- Keegan Murray is QUESTIONABLE (left calf soreness).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 34-23 against the Kings (20-7 at home, 14-16 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have won the regular season series against the Kings 10 times, lost it 3 times, and tied it once.
- The Thunder went 0-3 against the Kings last season (0-2 at home, 0-1 on the road).
- The Thunder are 1-2 against the Kings so far this season (1-0 at home, 0-2 on the road).