Like Tim pointed out in the preview, the Sacramento Kings needed a win today. This win could’ve ended better but it is still a fantastic win, no doubt, as the Kings move to 2-0 against the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

Iman Shumpert lit up the Thunder for the second time this season, with 23 first half points. He had 26 against them last time. As expected, he didn’t score in the second half but made a crucial steal and offensive rebound.

The Kings had multiple huge leads throughout the game, yet the Thunder kept coming back in with big runs of their own. The third quarter was the worst example of the runs, as the Kings couldn’t buy anything and the Thunder took advantage, eventually taking the lead towards the end of the quarter, even though they were trailing by double-digits at the end of the half. The Kings only scored 15 points in that period, but scored over 30 in every other quarter.

Marvin Bagley was huge in the fourth quarter. Quiet for most of the game, he came alive with 12 points and big rebounds and blocks. De’Aaron Fox made his first shot in the quarter and also dished out some fancy assists, which he had an abundance of the whole game. Buddy Hield started raining threes and eventually scored the game-sealing free throws after some ridiculous threes by Paul George.

This was a win the Kings needed and one they deserved. They showed out today, more than the final score shows.

First Quarter Observations

Second Quarter Observations

Third Quarter Observations

Fourth Quarter Observations

Best Players

Buddy Hield 25 points on 9-18 shooting and 5-10 from three. His passing and dribbling have steadily looked better and he came up big in the fourth with multiple threes. The Kings should NOT trade him.

Iman Shumpert’s 23 was absolutely crucial, just like in the first win. He also had four steals.

Marvin Bagley in the fourth was needed as well. He finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.

Bogdan Bogdanovic off the bench was big again. His 16 points, five rebounds and three assists were huge. His turnovers were just sloppy plays, but he made up for them.

Nemanja Bjelica had 12 points and eight rebounds on 5/6 shooting. The effect resulted in a win.

Willie Money Watch

Willie had nine points, five assists and 14 rebounds. His 4-14 shooting was bad but not as bad as his failed push on Steven Adams after being fouled by Westbrook.

Notable Stats

The Kings were 16-38 from three.= and 11-17 from the line.

The Kings were outscored on the fast break, 28-19.

The Kings also out-rebounded OKC 59-53.

Next Game

The Kings head to Utah to face the Jazz on Wednesday at 6:00 PM PST.