Thunder vs. Kings: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season
A sudden midseason coaching change isn't exactly ideal preparation for one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
In their first game since firing head coach Michael Malone, the Sacramento Kings put up a valiant effort but ultimately came up short, as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder earned their seventh straight victory with a 104-92 win Tuesday night.
Before the game, Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro said the firing wasn't about the team's record, even though Sacramento had lost seven of its nine games without star DeMarcus Cousins, who is out with viral meningitis.
"It wasn't about wins and losses," the GM told reporters, via ESPN.com. "I don't really care what our record was. It's really about who we want to be, what we want our identity to be as a team."
Notably, D'Alessandro and owner Vivek Ranadive wished for the Kings to employ a faster pace. They were able to get just eight fast-break points on Tuesday night under interim coach Tyrone Corbin, though, a result of an inability to slow down Oklahoma City's offense and create transition opportunities.
The Thunder shot 47.1 percent from the field, led mostly by their pair of MVP candidates.
Russell Westbrook finished with a game-high 32 points to go with six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Despite averaging under 32 minutes over his last nine games, he is on a historically hot run since his return from a hand injury, per ESPN.com's Royce Young:
Westbrook's game prompted ESPN's Jake Trotter to wonder why the star point guard isn't getting more talk:
Kevin Durant added 26 points of his own, cementing himself among a couple of all-time greats, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Rudy Gay had 22 points, and the Sacramento bench outscored Oklahoma City's, 44-28, but the Kings had 19 turnovers en route to their fourth loss in a row.
The Thunder poured in 34 first-quarter points and led by double digits for most of the first half. But Gay awoke Sleep Train Arena just before intermission, slashing into the lane and putting Serge Ibaka on a poster to cut the lead to seven.
The NBA's Twitter feed provided a look at the gargantuan two-handed slam:
Behind several buckets from Gay, the Kings continued to chip away at the lead in the third quarter. But the Thunder answered every time, taking a 10-point cushion into the final period.
With both teams' second units in the game, though, Sacramento went on a 13-2 run. Ryan Hollins, Nik Stauskas and Carl Landry each hit big shots, as the Kings took their first lead of the game with 8:04 remaining.
CSN's Jon Wilson noted the impressive production from Sacramento's bench:
But then Thunder coach Scott Brooks put Westbrook and Durant back into the game, and sometimes it's as simple as that. The duo poured in 16 points as part of a 19-6 run, giving the Thunder a 12-point lead and sealing the win.
CJ Fogler gave a look at the exclamation mark:
The Thunder get a day off before a marquee matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who just had their 16-game winning streak snapped by the Memphis Grizzlies. It's early, but with the way both teams are playing, it could easily be a preview of a late-May matchup.
Sacramento, meanwhile, will host the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday, looking to quickly establish its identity under Corbin and put an end to its losing ways.
A Cousins return wouldn't hurt, either.
