The Oklahoma City Thunder (8-5) wrap up their West Coast road trip in Sacramento on Sunday, taking on the Kings (1-11). OKC’s loss to the LA Clippers on Friday marked the Thunder’s 3rd straight loss. OKC hadn’t lost three straight games since April 2024, but now they have a chance to get back on track against one of the worst teams in the league.
The Kings enter the game on a 5-game losing streak, their second losing streak of the season so far after beginning the season with 6 straight losses. Sacramento is also ranked in the bottom 4 in both points scored and points allowed, and they have lost 8 times by at least 11 points.
The Thunder’s injury luck has been a major contributor to their struggles on the court, especially when you consider how much Mark Daigneault has had to play the end of the bench. Still, OKC has had opportunities to win games, most recently against the Clippers, but they haven’t been able to execute down the stretch, especially on the defensive end.
Sacramento averages the 5th-most turnovers in the NBA, which is an area that the Thunder need to take advantage of if they want to avoid a fourth straight loss. OKC hasn’t lost four straight games since the 2022-2023 season, the last time the Thunder had a losing season (40-42). Rookie Darius Acuff is leading the Kings with 25.4 points and 7.2 assists per game, but his efficiency isn’t great. He also averages 3.7 turnovers per game, which isn’t terrible, but limiting him will go a long way toward a win.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 8 PM CT
Location: Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, California)
Television: Thunder+, KSBI OKC & KQCW Tulsa
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: Jared McCain
- SF: Ajay Mitchell
- PF: Kenrich Williams
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Kings
- PG: Darius Acuff Jr.
- SG: Zach Lavine
- SF: De’Andre Hunter
- PF: Keegan Murray
- C: Domantas Sabonis
Injury Report
Thunder
- Chet Holmgren (right knee patellar tendinitis) is OUT.
- Ajay Mitchell (sprained left ankle) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Thomas Sorber (right knee surgery) is OUT.
- Cason Wallace (left shoulder labral tear) is OUT.
- Jalen Williams (left ankle fracture) is OUT.
- Jaylin Williams (lower back spasms) is OUT.
Kings
- Precious Achiuwa (left ankle soreness) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Jonathan Mogbo (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Keegan Murray (illness) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Sean Pedulla (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Maxime Raynaud (right patella subluxation) is OUT.
- Ben Simmons (right Achilles tendon surgery) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 40-23 against the Kings (23-7 at home, 17-16 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have won the regular-season series against the Kings 11 times, lost it 3 times, and tied it 2 times.
- The Thunder went 3-0 against the Kings last season (2-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder have won 8 consecutive meetings with the Kings, including the last 3 in Sacramento.