Update: 8:15 p.m.
The Sacramento Kings lost the champions in Oklahoma City Wednesday 113-99. It is Sacramento’s 7th loss in a row and the team now has sole possession of 14th place in the Western Conference. The unintentional tank keeps on chugging!
Domantas Sabonis missed the game with left knee soreness. Drew Eubanks finished with 6 points and 3 rebounds as his replacement. Dennis Schroder scored 21 points off the bench. Keon Ellis is back to limited minutes again with 11 total minutes. Precious Achiuwa finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had 11 assists.
The Kings play the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow.
From Earlier Preview:
If I never have to watch this version of the Sacramento Kings play this version of the Oklahoma City Thunder, I’d consider that a nice little win. But as the Kings have taught us this year, wins are hard to come by.
Who: Sacramento Kings (3-11) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-1)
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
When: 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA, League Pass
The Kings and Thunder have very different rosters, and very different leadership. They are also having very different seasons. OKC has started off red hot, opening the year 14-1. Meanwhile, the Kings are old, injured, and one of the most irrelevant teams in the league.
To make matters more challenging tonight, the Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis. Considering Sabonis is out, and Keegan Murray is expected to make his season debut Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies, it kinda feels like Sacramento might be punting this game to save some juice for Memphis on the second night of a back-to-back. Both myself and the accidental tank have no issues with this strategy.
While the Kings have no shot on paper tonight, basketball isn’t played on paper, and Sacramento has a handful of how they hell did they win that? games in them each season. Will tonight be one of them? Tune in and find out.
Prediction: Kings 122, Thunder 118
TKH readers watching this season:
Though some say, “The third time’s the charm,”
The Thunder is cause for alarm.
Maybe they’ll show up bored
With the points that they’ve scored
While we all endure Vivek’s harm!
+1 This time will be different!
Who is the better mascot for the Sacramento Kings franchise:
A) Slamson (D’uh!)
B) Homer Simpson (D’oh!)
C) Charlie Brown (…)
D) Eeyore
E) Chose another
“I’m your huckleberry.”
Roy-Al really should be the bad mascot for Slamson to battle.
Yep. Give him a Hamburglar persona and let him have at it. Anything to distract from the game action.
Fuck it, they should start five guards, with Westbrook at the 5 spot. Then bring Carter and Nique off the bench to complete the first ever 7 guard rotation.
Maybe this is the game to go 4 on 5?
I like this!
This and a Westbrook jersey will complete the 2025-2026 shitshow remembrance collection.
Which Thunder player will clap the Kings for a career high tonight?
I would guess Ajay Mitchell (who has been a worthy substitute for All-NBA, All-Star, All-Defense Jalen Williams – that’s saying something, as OKC will get even better in the near future).
Going against the defending champs again?
Fuck it. We deserve this
winloss.Kayte liked that first shot by LaVine? Alrighty then. Blowout incoming.
Oh, I like that dark wood side of the court in OKC. It has a nice richness to its tone.
I’ll add, I do NOT like the OKC logo at center court
SO…..LONG…..WINDED.
I laughed as she talked about Dennis coning off the bench and how it’s helping him, blah, blah, blah and then it went to commercial break. As the broadcast came back she continued to talk about Dennis coming off of the bench! I thought to my self, “did she stop talking about Dennis during the commercials, or just keep talking?”
It’s like she is absolutely DETERMINED to talk over plays.
She’s trolling you Marty!
Is OKC playing with its food again?
(Just watching the box score, sorry)
Kings had a good 1Q and apparently it’s because they did drills at practice.
*insert Iverson meme
Turnover tanking is impressive
I get the feeling that OKC is just fooling around with the Kings. They’ve won every quarter and can put their foot on the Kings throats at any time they want.
I’ve used my limited brainpower to determine that Scott Perry is a buffoon.
1) He agreed to work for Vivek
2) He traded the only rim protector for nothing
3) He signed a backup guard for 3 years who does the same thing as 4 other guards.
4) He doesnt value Ellis (would have made him RFA and matched if he did)
5 -8) I can keep going but should have stopped after #1.
The mental gymnastics that you have to do to think that this guy is doing some sort of 4D soft tank that Vivek will approve of is exhausting. If he was that smart he wouldn’t have come here.
He was literally pulled out of Vivek’s butt. That’s why he stinks.
Kayte: “Listen…”
Everyone: “WE HAVE NO CHOICE.”
She must love the sound of her voice. . Kyle is supposed to be PBP except he never gets to talk .
You guys who bash Kayte now is it because you can’t or won’t bash the Kings team anymore so now you switch to a broadcaster? You guys are something else.
It is interesting how she hasn’t learned to stop talking over game action, after all this time. It’s almost like she doesn’t care.
Everyone: “It’s the analyst job to bring something valuable to the broadcast.”
Kayte: “Hold my beer.”
To be fair, there is no game action when the Kings have the ball. It’s dribble dribble dribble clank over and over again.
She brings a lot to the table. A lot more valuable than some of you and your comments. I agree she does talk a lot and during the game but I’ve listened to her every since he started and she doesn’t bother me. Again she knows basketball and brings good insite into the game. Knows more in her little finger oh weel heard that before.
Come on, Jack. There are plenty of folks – including those that are involved in this immediate conversation – that have (a) been critical of the team and (b) been critical of the broadcast team, regardless of whether or not the team has been good. To posit that Kayte is being picked on here instead of the team is a false narrative of the highest level.
Adding, if you like the job that she’s doing, let’s hear it. For me, what she has brought to the broadcast is music, as I now mute the telecast and listen to my music library.
Hey ChatGPT, what makes a good NBA color analyst?
Let’s see how she’s doing.
Your highest level is a lot lower than yours or mine.
4-16 over the first 20 games is still very much in the cards, but I think they beat a banged up Grizz tomorrow and get one against PHX and Utah. 5-15 would still be a joke.
What the fans don’t understand is that the Kings have overachieved at 5-15!
Kangzt? More like Kangk… can’t get that Kangz stank off. You’re welcome by the way, I wrote the term Kangzt on here a long time ago.
Can you explain the meaning of KANGZT for me?
kangzt /KäNG(k)st/ noun
Vivek Ranadive
Vivek is my definition of hubris, both in action and visually.
Kangz Angst = Kangzt
The feeling Kings fans have 95% of the time
What’s the opposite of immaculate? Maculate?
Immolate?
Tomorrow night is going to be the real test. It will be awfully interesting to see how everyone in the organization reacts if they lose to a Ja-less and possibly JJJ-less 4-11 Grizzlies.
Easy, if they lose they will blame it on SEGABABA.
They can. Doesn’t seem like DC’s style. Others will rationalize it that way to soothe his overinflated ego, though. And that’s fine. They can lay blame all the way to a high lottery pick. Works for me.
It was nice to see Max get 18 minutes. He had some okay moments, but the bigger thing is just the experience against the OKC bigs.
Nique had 8 minutes…hard to develop when he gets so little time.
Keon with 10 minutes…
I agree. You need to let those guys play more. I would rather watch the young players than say LaVine who played over 30 minutes and scored only 8 points.
LaVine seems to have checked out. (For good?) Wearing out his welcome in the process.
This has got to be the ultimate kick in the balls for Vivek – his boycrush wanting out. I’m loving every minute of it. Meanwhile, in San Antonio…
There are going to be some ugly subplots as this whole thing (hopefully) unravels.
He really does. It’s still a small sample size but his points, FGA, rebounds, and assists are all down His shooting percentages are all still good, but he just doesn’t seem to be touching the ball as much and getting scoring opportunities.
That the price you pay when you have so many offensively dominant players on the floor with him. The Kings are diminishing the best offensive weapon they have by putting DDR, Dennis, Monk, and Russ on the floor with him.
They have somehow mastered completely misusing Sabonis and diminishing LaVine at the same time. Impressive stuff.
More signs every day that letting a fantasy league member have personnel control over a real, live, in the living flesh NBA team doesn’t work. No promises that the signs will be heeded, though. Ego.
One of my trade ideas is sending LaVine, Ellis and Carter to the Pistons for Harris, Ivey and Holland. On paper LaVine and Cunningham together would be great. We get an expiring contract in Harris(26 mil) a starting point guard in Ivey and an up and coming young forward in Holland. Pistons also get 2 young defensive players in Ellis and Carter.
I liked the effort for the most part. First half was decent. Made OKC step it up a bit in the 3rd Q and SGA had to play some in the 4th. Immoral victory!
Did you all catch Kyle talking about OKC only winning 22 games in Daigneault’s first season? The word has come from up high to defend Doug I guess.
What the Kings’ FO doesn’t understand is that OKC was tanking. Their top 5 in games started were: Darius Bazley, Lu Dort, Theo Maledon, SGA and Isaiah Roby.
Yup, that was the year they Thunder took on Al Horford’s bloated deal from Philly in exchange for a pick. They then sent Horford home after 28 games to continue the tank. Next they then flipped Horford to Boston to eat Kemba Walker’s deal and got another first round pick. That pick ended up being Alperen Sengun, who they turned around and flipped to Houston for 2 more first round picks! One of those picks was flipped to acquire Ousmane Dieng, and the other has yet to convey.
Sure, they missed out on Sengun, but they had all the action and potential by simply eating a bad deal in exchange for a pick. That is how you tank to rebuild. They used nothing but cap space to acquire picks.
Great recap!
And that was after trading young Domas & Oladipo for PG and flipping him for SGA right?
That’s the rebuild model we should be following.
You are correct.
Don’t forget they traded Westbrook before that for CP3 and two firsts (one became Topic the other is for 2026) and two pick swaps. They then later flipped CP3 for another pick from the Suns. That pick was Payton Watson who the Thunder flipped to Denver for a 2027 first round pick.
That means they still have two picks to use from when they traded Westbrook in 2019!!!
Totally forgot about CP3 on OKC.
Amazing how well they did on their rebuild. Only 2 seasons with less than 40 wins. From ’19-20(44 wins, 22, 24, 40, 57, 68, this season)
Only 2 top 10 picks(Giddey-6 & Chet-2). Just amazing asset management, drafting and development. And GM and coach on the same page.
And by they, you mean Sam Presti. Largely considered the savviest GM in the league. But the vast majority of NBA fans have no idea who owns the Thunder. Just the way it should be.
Yes. And this is why I don’t like Katie or the announcers. can’t be Schilling like that when the product is obviously shit. And she probably is getting pressure from the owner but most or all of the other teams don’t do this
Consistency is important in the NBA, so good job Kings on not only losing 7 in a row, but losing 7 in a row by double digits!
When we lost our 6th consecutive game by double digits, I saw a stat that said that was the first time in Sac history that we’d lost that many games in a row by double digits. Pretty impressive considering the sheer volume of awful treams we’ve had over the last 40 years.
Your 25-26 Kings: groundbreakers and innovators!
And we’re reaching these heights with the FO trying to build a winner.
Maybe we can get Vivek to try to lose?
The beauty of this is that while other teams get accused of tanking, our long history keeps us out of that realm. We just suck!
We aren’t tanking, we’re just bad at winning
what a legacy
The Kings are a young team. Give them some time and continuity and they will learn how to pull out these close losses from these last two weeks.
I mean, the roster is stacked. When DDR and Lavine learn each other’s game? Watch out.
I’m sorry, but the talking points Doug trots out are ridiculous for a team full of veterans, two of which will likely be in the hall of fame. He likes their level of compete? We keep preaching consistency? He sounds like he’s coaching high schoolers.
Agree. I’ve been calling Doug a high school coach. With a preschool owner.
Vivek can fuck off. Matina too. Everything about this organization is hogwash.
Badge Legend