Thunder at Kings
THE STORY: After surviving back-to-back games, the Oklahoma City Thunder begin another set Thursday night in Sacramento against a Kings team that hasn't given them much trouble lately. Oklahoma City has won six straight in the series against the Kings since a 101-98 loss on Nov. 10, 2009. Oklahoma City plays at Utah on Friday. “That's the NBA,” coach Scott Brooks said. “You've got to come back and do it again the next night.” Sacramento looks to rebound at home. The Kings’ offense betrayed them and they failed to take advantage of a Kevin Love-less Minnesota team, falling 86-84 Monday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE THUNDER (20-5): Despite pulling out a 119-116 win at Golden State on Monday and owning the NBA’s best record, the Thunder is not resting easy. “We want to strive toward perfection,” said Kevin Durant, whose bank shot with 14.2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference. “We want to be one of those teams that are looked at as a really good team, and (against Golden State) we kind of had too many lapses. As a leader, I'm a little upset at myself for letting that happen.”
ABOUT THE KINGS (9-16): Rookie Jimmer Fredette, who was benched for two straight games recently, scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter against the Kings. “Fans have to understand that rookies need time to learn the game,” coach Keith Smart said. “We're doing fine and he's doing fine. Jimmer is going to be a very, very, very good pro, but right now he's learning the game.”
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Thunder are 7-0 this season when shooting 50.0 percent or better.
2. In five games at Sacramento since the 2008-09 season, Durant is averaging 32.8 points, his best at any NBA arena.
3. The Kings rank last in assist/turnover ratio at 1.03 and the Thunder is 29th at 1.10.