Kings vs. Thunder gameday: De’Aaron Fox trade rumors, injury updates and 3 things to watch
The Kings will take on the top team in the Western Conference when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fifth game of a six-game road trip Saturday at Paycom Center.
De’Aaron Fox trade talks have dominated the discussion in Sacramento in recent days, but the Kings will have to find a way to focus on basketball when they face an Oklahoma City squad that has emerged as a serious NBA title contender.
The Kings (24-23) are coming off Wednesday’s 117-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. They are 10th in the Western Conference, three games behind the Los Angels Clippers for the No. 6 seed.
The Thunder (37-9) sits atop the West with a 5 ½-game lead over the Houston Rockets. Oklahoma City is coming off a 116-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors despite a 52-point game from MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Here are three things to watch in Saturday’s game.
Guarding SGA
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a career-high 32.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals. He is shooting 52.8% from the field, 35% from 3-point range and 90.4% from the free-throw line on 8.5 attempts per game.
Somehow, Gilgeous-Alexander has been even better over the past four games, averaging 43.0 points per game. Keeping him off the free-throw line will be a big key for Sacramento. He went 18 of 21 at the line in his 52-point game against the Warriors and 17 of 18 in a 54-point game against the Utah Jazz
Fox news
Reports out of San Antonio on Friday suggested the Spurs were on the verge of completing a blockbuster trade to acquire Fox, but that hasn’t happened yet.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Sacramento Bee on Friday “all is quiet as of now,” indicating that no deal was imminent despite increasing chatter and growing speculation.
Last time vs. OKC
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points in a 130-109 victory over the Kings on Nov. 25, but he wasn’t the only one who hurt them.
Jalen Williams scored 28 points, going 10 of 16 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3-point range. Isaiah Hartenstein had 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting with 10 rebounds.
Kings at Thunder
When: 5 p.m.
Where: Paycom Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Thunder -9.5
Over/under: 233.5
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Isaiah Crawford (G League); Colby Jones (G League); Isaac Jones (G League).
Thunder: OUT — Alex Caruso (ankle); Chet Holmgren (hip); Dillon Jones (G League); Ajay Mitchell (toe); Nikola Topic (knee).
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
