Kings honor Kobe Bryant before suffering 120-100 loss to Oklahoma City Thunder
Kings fans kept waiting for their team to make a run against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night after watching them rally from a 27-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in Minneapolis, but that never happened.
Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and rookie two-way player Luguentz Dort had a career-high 23, leading the Thunder to a 120-100 victory at Golden 1 Center on a night in which the Kings honored NBA great Kobe Bryant.
Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points for the Thunder (29-20), who shot 50 percent from the field and made 44.1 percent from 3-point range. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 points to lead the Kings (17-30), who made just 9 of 39 (.231) from beyond the arc. De’Aaron Fox had 19 points. Buddy Hield was held to 13 after scoring a career-high 42 in the win over Minnesota.
“We got pushed around tonight,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “They were more physical than us, they hit us, outrebounded us, got the shots they wanted, and that can’t be acceptable for how we’re going to play the game of basketball.”
Both teams started slowly. The Kings missed eight of their first 11 shots. The Thunder missed 10 of 14 to begin the game. The Kings trailed 23-16 after going 6 of 21 from the field and 1 of 9 from 3-point range in the opening period.
The Kings got within three on a couple of occasions early in the second quarter, but the Thunder staged a 10-0 run to take a 59-43 lead on a 3-pointer by Schroder.
Oklahoma City led 59-47 at the half. Sacramento cut the deficit to seven early in the third quarter, but the Kings couldn’t build on that momentum. The Thunder quickly reestablished a double-digit lead and continued to pour it on, leading by as many as 23 in the third and 29 in the fourth.
Remembering Kobe Bryant
“KO-BE” chants rang out inside the arena after the Kings aired a special video tribute to Bryant and observed a 24-second moment of silence prior to the game. Another tribute video aired during a first-quarter timeout featuring Kings general manager Vlade Divac, assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic, Walton, longtime radio play-by-play announcer Gary Gerould and guard Buddy Hield, each of whom shared thoughts and memories of Bryant.
“His legacy is going to live forever,” Stojakovic said.
Earlier in the day, the Kings announced plans to further honor Bryant’s memory during Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the only team he played for during his illustrious 20-year career. In addition to an in-game video tribute, the Kings will construct an art installation in the plaza outside the Grand Entrance to the arena, where fans will be invited to leave notes and flowers.
Bryant died along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others when their helicopter crashed Sunday in Calabasas. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, a five-time NBA champion and a former league MVP. He was also a noted rival of the Kings, who clashed with the Lakers in the playoffs three times from 2000-02, including a memorable seven-game series in the 2002 Western Conference finals.
Injury absences
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III and center Richaun Holmes were out again due to injuries. Holmes missed his 10th game in a row with a right shoulder injury. Bagley missed his fourth consecutive game due to left foot soreness.
Holmes was injured in a game against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 6. The team announced Jan. 12 that he would be reevaluated in two to three weeks.
Bagley is experiencing what the team has described as residual soreness from a midfoot sprain that caused him to miss eight games in late December and early January. He appeared in three games after recovering from the initial injury but has not played since posting 15 points and 15 rebounds against the Miami Heat on Jan. 20. He was again seen wearing a walking boot Wednesday. The Kings have provided no timetable for his return.
Dort from long distance
Dort has filled in admirably for Oklahoma City forward Terrance Ferguson, who has missed the past seven games due to personal reasons.
Dort has been starting in Ferguson’s place. Dort is a two-way player with a reputation for defense, but he got it going offensively against the Kings, going 3 of 3 from 3-point range in the first half. He finished 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
“It felt good,” Dort said. “Shots were falling and my 3s are one thing I’ve really been working on, and today I got the chance to show it.”
Injury report
Thunder: OUT — Terrance Ferguson (personal), Andre Roberson (knee), Abdel Nader (ankle).
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (foot), Richaun Holmes (shoulder).
Kings upcoming schedule
Jan. 30 at Los Angeles Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Feb. 7 vs. Miami, 7 p.m.
Feb. 8 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 9:25 PM.
