Rested OKC Thunder Score 130 Points to Hand Kings Fourth Straight Loss

Oklahoma City won the second half by 20 points.

Nov 25, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) fight for position under the basket during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder caught fire in the second half to beat the dwindling Sacramento Kings 130-109. The Thunder shot 34-for-54 (63.0%) on 2-pointers and 14-for-32 (43.8%) beyond the arc for the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points on 13-for-20 shooting and 4-for-8 from downtown, adding a season-high 11 assists and four rebounds. Jalen Williams recorded 28 points on 16 shots, five assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block. Oklahoma City's two best playmakers tallied 11 combined turnovers.

Isaiah Hartenstein, in his first start of the season, put up 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 30 points on 13-for-21 shooting. Domantas Sabonis racked up 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.

Factor	Thunder	Kings
Points	130	109
eFG%	64.0%	52.9%
TOV	15	12
ORB	11	9
FT	20-for-25	17-for-23

Aaron Wiggins started his fourth consecutive game, joining Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort in the opening five.

Sacramento started De'Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Sabonis.

DeRozan nailed three early mid-range jumpers in the first four minutes, all on Sabonis assists and near the free-throw line. The Kings forced four Thunder turnovers in the first five minutes — two each from Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Hartenstein's strong screens freed up Gilgeous-Alexander for two off-the-dribble 3-pointers during the first quarter, including a step-back triple following a Dort offensive rebound. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the quarter with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting, four assists and two rebounds.

Sacramento made all six of their shot attempts within seven feet in the first 12 minutes. Back-to-back threes from Isaiah Joe in the closing minutes helped give the Thunder a 31-30 lead entering the second frame.

Kenrich Williams drew a charge on Sabonis and drained a left-corner triple — his third of the season — on consecutive possessions, though the Kings then hit two straight threes to take a two-point lead and force a Mark Daigneault timeout. Kenrich Williams later made two free throws and another 3-pointer in his extended second-quarter stint.

Oklahoma City led 63-62 at halftime. The first half featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties, with the Thunder's early 10-4 lead being the largest advantage by either team. DeRozan racked up 19 first-half points on 12 shots, all 2-pointers, and Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 18 first-half points on 10 shots to lead their respective teams.

Sabonis hit Hartenstein with an inadvertent elbow to the right eye area five minutes into the third quarter, sending the bleeding Thunder center to the locker room. The initial no-call was overturned to a defensive foul during the mandatory stoppage. Hartenstein returned a few minutes later and immediately slammed a two-handed dunk from Jalen Williams.

Faced with a jump ball against Sabonis, Jalen Williams jumped early to tap the ball to Cason Wallace — who ran the length of the floor for an uncontested dunk. Gilgeous-Alexander converted a spinning layup going right and step-back top-of-the-key 3-pointer on two straight trips down the floor to bring his scoring total to 30 points in three quarters.

Ajay Mitchell sunk a high-arcing corner triple from Gilgeous-Alexander at the third-quarter buzzer, handing the Thunder a 97-84 lead with a quarter to play.

Jalen Williams scored 11 consecutive Thunder points — three triples and a dunk from a falling Hartenstein — midway through the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach for Sacramento.

The Thunder look to even the season series at one game apiece against the Golden State Warriors this Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 9 p.m. CST.

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