Oklahoma City at Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings took down the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, 117-113, at Golden 1 Center on Monday.
For much of the fourth quarter, it seemed as though Sacramento (9-8) had the game locked up. That changed in the final minute, though, when a last-ditch Thunder (10-6) run closed the gap to just one possession. After leading 113-104 with 37 seconds remaining, a 7-0 run brought OKC to within two points with just five seconds remaining. Paul George capped off the run with a heavily-contested three-pointer, but it proved to be too little too late. Sacramento was able to hit its free-throws to close out the game on the final possession.
Sophomore guard De'Aaron Fox scored only six points, but made up for it with a game-high 13 assists. The bulk of Sacramento's scoring came from Buddy Hield, who poured in 25 points, and Iman Shumpert, who had a season-high 23 in the win. Rookie big man Marvin Bagley also impressed, scoring 15 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking three shots.
For the Thunder, former MVP Russell Westbrook took the floor despite a lingering ankle injury. The injury did not seem to hold him back, as he led his team with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. George, meanwhile, scored 27 points. The team as a whole, though, was relatively inefficient, shooting just 42.5 percent including 28.6 percent from three-point range.
Both teams will take to the road, with the Thunder visiting Utah on Wednesday and the Kings heading down the road to Oakland to take on Golden State.
