Thunder at Kings
THE STORY: Oklahoma City is guaranteed at least fourth in the Western Conference, but still has a chance to finish as high as second. The Thunder travel Monday night to Sacramento, where the Kings appear to be finished entirely. The Kings, far out of playoff contention, appear to be very close to relocating to Anaheim, and could be playing their final two games in the California capital this week.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS-Oklahoma, CS-California
ABOUT THE THUNDER (54-26): With a 120-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, the Thunder showed they remain a serious threat in the postseason. Oklahoma City still can finish as high as No. 2 in the West with two games left in the regular season. Both the Lakers and Dallas are 55-25. The Thunder won their fourth in a row and their first against the Lakers on the road since March 12, 2006 as Kevin Durant scored 31 and Russell Westbrook 26. “This was a step in the right direction, but we want to get to something bigger, but it was kind of a statement win for us,” Durant said.
ABOUT THE KINGS (24-56): The Kings return home after salvaging a split of a four-game trip Sunday night with a 104-103 victory at Golden State despite 23 turnovers. Marcus Thornton scored 21 points, including a 22-foot jumper with 12.6 seconds left to secure the win. “We’ve got two more tough games and those games are building blocks for us to see where we are,” Thornton said. “I credit the guys for still playing hard.” Said coach Paul Westphal: “Marcus Thornton has shown he's a major scorer in this league, and he'll only get better." Rookie DeMarcus Cousins had three double-doubles on the trip, including 15 points and 13 rebounds against Golden State.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: In the last five games against the Kings, Durant is averaging 28.4 points. Westbrook averages 20.8 points and 8.2 assists in that stretch. Cousins has also been productive in three losses to Oklahoma City this season, averaging 18 points and 13.7 rebounds. Tyreke Evans is averaging 26 points in two games against the Thunder this season.
KEY STATISTIC: Oklahoma City is 15-3 since March 9. Only the Chicago Bulls, at 16-2, have a better record in the league over that same time span.
SEASON SERIES: The teams meet for the fourth and final time with the Thunder trying for a season sweep. The Thunder has won eight of the last nine meetings against the Kings, including the last five.
KEY INJURIES: OKLAHOMA CITY: None. SACRAMENTO:F DeMarcus Cousins (shoulder).
LAST WORD: “It's going to be tough on a lot of people. Sacramento was great. But we don't know what's going to happen.” - Thunder coach Scott Brooks, a former assistant at Sacramento, on the Kings’ possible relocation to Anaheim.