The Oklahoma City Thunder came to Sacramento on Thursday night at 33-26, fifth best in the NBA’s Western Conference, but they are a more dangerous team than their record suggests. For the first quarter in their matchup with the Kings, the Thunder were their better selves, shooting over 80 percent from the floor and building a 44-21 lead. As has often been the case on their home court, however, the Kings were resilient, steadily inching themselves back in the game over the next two quarters until they took the lead late in the third. The game remained close for the rest of the way, and the Kings hit a shot with one second remaining to tie the score at 107. The Thunder called a timeout so they could inbound the ball on the Kings end of the floor, then they set a beautiful screen to free Russell Westbrook for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer to win the game and let all the air out of the Golden One Center. It may not have been the result that Kings fans wanted, but moments like that are why you pay for an NBA ticket.
Like the Warriors, the Thunder have a problem with consistency, possibly because they are still figuring out how to integrate their recent acquisitions, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, with Westbrook’s ball-dominating style. After their hot first quarter against the Kings, there were moments on offense when they seemed to forget how to move without the ball, to the point where during certain possessions they seemed frozen in place, unlike the Warriors who are always running their defenders ragged to create openings and make plays. Nevertheless, when they are right, they stand alongside the Houston Rockets as a formidable obstacle to a Warriors return trip to the NBA Finals. They come to Oakland on Saturday, and given their two blowouts over the Warriors earlier this season, not to mention the adrenaline rush from their last-second victory over the Kings, they will show up with a lot of confidence. The Warriors, for their part, seem still to have problems with focus and nearly coughed up their Thursday game against the LA Clippers. I don’t recommend betting on NBA basketball, but if I were to wager on Saturday’s game, I’m not sure that my money would be on Steph and KD.
Postgame PS: The Warriors smoked OKC 112-80 with one of their trademark third quarter smackdowns. Shows what I knew.
