Thunder at Kings
The Oklahoma City Thunder finally looked worn out from their lengthy road trip in the last five minutes of a loss at the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. After a day off, the Thunder are hoping to come out refreshed when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The Kings returned home after a road trip this week but are unsure of how much longer they’ll be playing in California’s capital with the team’s sale pending.
A group from Seattle led by investor Chris Hansen has already signed an agreement to buy a 65 percent interest in the Kings with the intention of moving the team to Washington. Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson is trying to stop the move by putting together a group of area investors, but the Seattle group is just waiting for approval by the NBA’s Board of Governors. The Thunder franchise know something about moving but have been as stable as any team this season and still own the best record in the NBA.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSOK (Oklahoma City), CSCA (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (33-10): The Oklahoma City franchise was the last to occupy Seattle before taking Kevin Durant away to the middle of the country and becoming a legitimate title contender. Durant scored 33 points on Wednesday but the Thunder were outscored 24-11 in the final minutes of a 104-99 loss to the Warriors. Oklahoma City has played nine of its last 11 on the road and has two games left on the current trip, which finishes up against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Russell Westbrook seemed to suffer the most on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday. After averaging 32.2 points in the previous five games, Westbrook was held to 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting at Golden State.
ABOUT THE KINGS (16-27): Sacramento is dealing with relocation rumors for the second straight campaign after plans to move to Anaheim, Calif., fell through last year. On the court, the Kings own the third-worst record in the Western Conference and have dropped three of four. The Kings scored 39 points in the second half to suffer a 106-96 home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and have allowed an average of 110 points in the last two games after a three-game stretch of holding opponents under the century mark. DeMarcus Cousins recorded his sixth straight double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds against the Suns and may have found a partner down low in rookie Thomas Robinson, who pulled down a career-high 14 boards.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Oklahoma City has taken four straight in the series, including a 113-103 triumph on Dec. 14. Durant had 31 points in that win.
2. The Kings, who are 4-16 on the road, will play 13 of their next 16 away after Friday.
3. Westbrook was announced as an All-Star reserve on Thursday. He will be at the game alongside Durant, who was voted as a starter by the fans.