Thunder-Kings Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Apr 19 2012 2:37PM

The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to need some help to get the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Sacramento Kings didn't give them any with their last effort.

The Thunder continue a five-game trip Friday night when they look to hand the Kings a ninth loss in 10 games in what could be the penultimate contest at Power Balance Pavilion.

Oklahoma City (45-17) trails San Antonio by one-half game for the West's best record. The Spurs hold the tiebreaker over the Thunder and would have to lose twice and have Oklahoma City win out to drop into the No. 2 slot.

That scenario seems unlikely with San Antonio winning by an average of 18.2 points during a five-game run that includes Wednesday's 127-102 victory at Sacramento.

The Kings (20-42) allowed the Spurs to shoot 58.8 percent - the second-highest mark against them all season - and were outscored by 24 in the second half.

"They executed better than us in the third quarter, that's what happened," center DeMarcus Cousins said. "They ran their stuff to perfection and took us out of our game."

Sacramento and Oklahoma City have split two meetings with two remaining, but it's hard to envision the Kings being competitive based on the last one. The Thunder won 115-89 at home last Friday as they led by as many as 32 points and held a 58-41 edge on the glass.

Oklahoma City began this trip the next night by beating Minnesota before losing Monday to the Clippers. The Thunder got back on track with Wednesday's 109-97 victory over Phoenix behind James Harden's career-high 40 points.

Harden had not scored more than 17 in any of his previous 10 games.

"James obviously had a terrific game," coach Scott Brooks said. "He had everything going. He had his mid-range, he had his 3 and he had his free throw game on tonight."

MVP candidate Kevin Durant had 29 points and 11 boards for his 17th double-double.

"It was a really, really good win," Durant said, "a really good bounce-back win for us and against a team that's trying to get every win to get into the playoffs."

Russell Westbrook could be facing the perfect opponent to recover against after totaling 24 points on 10-of-32 shooting in his last two games. Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points on 56.8 percent shooting against Sacramento this season.

His counterpart at point guard, Kings rookie Isaiah Thomas, is averaging 20.0 points on 51.2 percent shooting over his last three contests.

Thomas' emergence, though, has shifted Tyreke Evans to forward. Evans has struggled at times, scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting Wednesday after getting a season-low two points last week against the Thunder.

"Since I've known Tyreke, he's always been the primary ballhandler," Cousins told the NBA's official website. "It's an adjustment. It's part of being a pro. Part of his growth."

The Kings have two home games left, and a tentative deal for a new arena has fallen apart. That has again opened the possibility for the team's owners to move the club.

Thunder beats Kings 103-92

Posted Apr 21 2012 1:49AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) With Oscar Robertson sitting courtside and soaking up the crowd's adulation in recognition of his Hall of Fame career, it would have been a fitting occasion for Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant to record the first triple-double of his career.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of his triple-double season in 1961-62 - the only one in NBA history - the "Big O" was being recognized by the Sacramento franchise on Friday night. Playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Robertson had an amazing 41 triple-doubles that season.

Durant would be thrilled to just have one.

He came close against the Kings, getting 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Thunder to a 103-92 victory.

"I've been flirting all season with it but I haven't been able to seal the deal yet," Durant said. "Hopefully I will get one before my career is over. Oscar Robertson is a legend, someone I really look up to. It was a joy playing in front of him tonight."

Known mostly for his scoring early in his career, Durant has evolved into an all-around player and is a strong candidate for MVP this season. He played like one against the Kings. Durant made 9 of 15 shots, including two 3s, hit 9 of 10 free throws, and was the game's leading rebounder.

"We all know that Kevin can score," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "But he has to continue making his teammates better. He definitely did that tonight with seven assists. He's a very unselfish basketball player."

The Thunder took the lead for good midway through the first quarter and went on to their second consecutive victory and fourth in five games.

Oklahoma City (46-17) remained in contention for the best record in the Western Conference. The Thunder are one-half game behind San Antonio and have three games remaining, including Tuesday against the visiting Kings. The Spurs defeated the Lakers at home on Friday.

James Harden had 20 points and Russell Westbrook scored 18 for the Thunder, who have a 7-5 record in April. Serge Ibaka had 12 points and eight of the Thunder's 11 blocks and Kendrick Perkins had 10 points.

"We had to guard three of the most difficult guys in the league. Those guys - James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant - can score," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "Then of course you throw the big guys in there and you can see why they're one of the best teams in the NBA."

DeMarcus Cousins had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who have lost nine of 10. Tyreke Evans scored 16 points, Jason Thompson added 13, Isaiah Thomas 12 and Jimmer Fredette 11 for the Kings (20-43), who are tied with New Orleans for the worst record in the Western Conference.

The Kings had their problems offensively against the aggressive Thunder, who tend to gamble with a shot-blocker like Ibaka and the tenacious Perkins backing them up. Sacramento shot 41 percent and was the 12th team in 15 games that Oklahoma City held under 100 points.

"They play good team defense and obviously with Ibaka and Perkins down low it's a tough matchup for anybody," Fredette said. "Then they have some great scorers and move the ball so well."

The Kings trimmed the Thunder's 15-point lead to eight with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter, aided by Fredette's six points. But the Thunder kept their composure down the stretch to maintain the lead and preserve the victory.

"We made them miss shots in the second half and I thought we rebounded better in the second half," Brooks said. "We did a great job of moving the ball. Everybody had shots, everybody had looks, and Kevin was solid."

At halftime, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson talked about opening the line of communications with the Kings owners regarding plans for a tentative new downtown arena that fell apart last week. Johnson, who has been very critical of the owners' decision, met with the Maloofs in Las Vegas on Friday and will talk sometime again next week.

"I understand a little bit of where George's (Maloof) perspective was," Johnson said. "Not that I fully agree with it, but I fully understand his perspective. It (today) was a solid step forward."

It's been another difficult season for the Kings both on and off the court. Besides the arena plan seemingly derailed, Sacramento has experienced its sixth straight losing season.

Durant made all three shots in the third quarter, including two 3s, and had eight points to help the Thunder lead 81-70 after three.

After Thomas' 3-pointer pulled the Kings within three points, the Thunder ran off eight straight points. Westbrook banked in a jumper and then knifed through the defense for a layup. Two free throws by Harden put the Thunder up 75-64 at the 4:39 mark.

Sacramento played the game without leading scorer Marcus Thornton, who suffered a left quad contusion in Wednesday's game against San Antonio.

Notes: Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists in 1961-62. ... Thomas was given the annual Oscar Robertson Triple-Double award, which signifies excellence both on and off the court. . Trailing by seven points in the game's first 5 minutes, the Thunder outscored the Kings 22-6 the remainder of the period to take a 32-23 lead into the second. ... Angered over some non-calls following a flurry of blocked shots by the Thunder late in the second quarter, Smart got a technical foul. . Kings veteran John Salmons missed his 14th straight game with sore hip and appears unlikely to return this season.

Notebook: Thunder 103, Kings 92

Posted Saturday April 21, 2012 1:21AM

By James Ham, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: For the second game in a row, the Sacramento Kings played against one of the Western Conference's elite teams. Unfortunately, different team, same result. The Kings fought hard in front of a near sell out Power Balance Pavilion crowd, but the Thunder's stars were just too good, pulling away late for the 103-92 victory.

MVP candidate Kevin Durant showed off his all-around game, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for the near triple-double in front of legend Oscar Robertson. Super-sub James Harden scored 20 points while All-Star Russell Westbrook added 18 points as the Thunder moved to 46-17 on the season.

DeMarcus Cousins finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in the loss for the Kings, but shot only 8-for-21 on the night. Jason Thompson had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tyreke Evans kicked in 16. The Kings have now lost nine of 10 and are tied with the New Orleans Hornets for the worst record in the Western Conference.

QUOTABLE: "We had a very productive meeting. I reached out. George [Maloof] and I had meeting in Las Vegas today that was productive. I thought, and we thought that it was very important to keep the lines of communication open. In the spirit of Sacramento, if anything productive is going to happen, you have to be able to communicate and we did that today and we agreed to have a follow up conversation early next week."
-- Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson from his courtside seat, speaking on today's arena developments

THE STAT: Serge Ibaka gave Cousins fits in the post. The 22-year-old forward finished with eight of the Thunder's 11 blocks.

TURNING POINT: This game gradually slipped through the Kings hands. They trailed by seven after one, eight at the half, 11 after three and 11 after the final whistle. The Thunder were the better team tonight from start to finish.

QUOTABLE II: "We all know that Kevin [Durant] can score with the best of them in this league and he's going to be able to do that for a long time. He has to continue to focus on making his teammates look better and get better and make them get easier shots and he did that tonight, he had seven assists."
-- Thunder coach Scott Brooks on the development of Durant as a facilitator

HOT: Durant and Westbrook were incredible. The Kings did their best to slow the duo, but they still put on a show, finishing with a combined 47 points on 17-for-30 shooting from the field.

NOT: Travis Outlaw was the only healthy scratch in Wednesday night's loss to the Spurs. Friday, he got the start and had a rough go against Durant. The veteran wing finished with one point and four rebounds on a dreadful 0-for-6 shooting night in 27 minutes.

GOOD MOVE: The game plan for Brooks was to get out and run against the Kings porous defense. It worked. The Thunder finished with 27 fast-break points on the night.

BAD MOVE: Outlaw wasn't the answer against Durant. I'm not sure that anyone is, but coach Keith Smart should have given Donté Greene a shot.

NOTABLE: Oscar Robertson sat courtside tonight with owners Gavin and Colleen Maloof. The Kings were honoring Isaiah Thomas with the 2012 Oscar Robertson Triple-Double Award, given to the team's player "who best exemplifies winning characteristics, both as an athlete and a conscientious citizen active in the community."

UP NEXT: For the Thunder, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Tuesday vs. Sacramento, Wednesday vs. Denver. For the Kings, Sunday @ Charlotte, Tuesday @ Oklahoma City, Thursday vs. L.A. Lakers.

• Thunder: Jackson, Maynor
• Kings: Salmons

• Thunder: Durant
• Kings: Smart

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, CA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #68 Marat Kogut, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 16882
• Duration: 2:07