De’Aaron Fox prevails in shootout with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Kings thump Thunder
.jpg "Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) shoots between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2), forward Isaiah Roby (22) and guard Aaron Wiggins, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)")
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another huge game, but the Kings finally looked like a team that knows it’s now or never Monday night in Oklahoma City.
Trey Lyles provided a strong start and De’Aaron Fox delivered a big finish, helping the Kings snap a four-game losing streak to keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a 131-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
Fox scored 29 points and dished out 10 assists to pass Reggie Theus for fourth on Sacramento’s all-time list, posting his second consecutive double-double for the Kings. Lyles, making his first start since being acquired in a trade with the Detroit Pistons, had 24 points and six rebounds.
“Trey Lyles gave us a big boost,” interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “… We thought he had the potential to really help us. He can spread the floor a little bit. He just really hasn’t had an opportunity here when it comes to quality minutes. We wanted to give him an opportunity to be in the game and start and see what happens, and, obviously, he responded well.”
Harrison Barnes converted 10 of 11 free throw attempts while scoring 23 points for the Kings (23-40). Domantas Sabonis had 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting with 16 rebounds and seven assists, finishing with a plus-eight net rating despite committing eight turnovers. Donte DiVincenzo had his best game yet for the Kings with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Davion Mitchell had 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Gilgeous-Alexander posted his third consecutive 30-point game for the Thunder (19-42). The 23-year-old point guard had 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting with seven rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
The Kings gained ground in the play-in race, but they are still 13th in the Western Conference with 19 games remaining. They are three games behind the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers for the final play-in berth, and 1 ½ games behind the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings gained a half-game on the Pelicans and Blazers. They gained a full game on the Spurs, who suffered a 118-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
The coming days will be crucial to the Kings’ slim playoff chances. They will visit the Pelicans on Wednesday, the Spurs on Thursday and the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday before returning to Sacramento to face the New York Knicks on Monday. If the Kings can piece together a five-game winning streak — with victories over two of the teams they are chasing — they could find themselves right in the thick of the play-in race.
“I think we’re just approaching every game one at a time,” Lyles said. “We know what’s at stake, but we can’t apply any more pressure than what’s needed. We just need to go out every night and play with the urgency that that game is a win-or-go-home game. That’s what we did tonight and we just need to continue to do that throughout the week.”
Fox continued his recent feast on opposing defenses, going 10 of 20 from the field. He scored nine points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth to help the Kings outscore the Thunder 72-51 in the second half. Over the past nine games, Fox has averaged 27.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field, 35.1% from 3-point range and 77.1% at the free-throw line.
Lyles has appeared in five games for the Kings since coming to Sacramento in the trade that sent Marvin Bagley III to Detroit. Lyles played a total of 30 minutes in his first four appearances. He logged 31 minutes against Oklahoma City after Gentry made a surprise move, electing to start Lyles instead of Maurice Harkless. The move paid off with Lyles making 10 of 14 field-goal attempts.
The Kings shot 56.3% from the field and demonstrated impressive ball movement with 30 assists. Fox said Lyles’ ability to shoot the ball helped space the floor.
“It helps us tremendously,” Fox said. “Obviously, for myself, when we have shooters out there, it forces guys to try to keep me in front of them by themselves and the minute a head turns or anything like that, I’m looking to spread the ball out. Trey has a beautiful jump shot, so I think he expects every single one to go in, and we’re expecting him to make shots at a high level. He’s been doing it over the last few games when he’s been in the game, when he’s gotten minutes, and I think that’s something … (we) expect for him going forward.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 3:55 AM.
