Thunder falls at Sacramento on Tuesday night
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Even when the Thunder was rolling, it wasn’t rocking.
Out of tune most the night, it rarely struck the right notes at the Golden 1 Center on Tuesday, and when the music stopped, OKC had hit its early season rock bottom, a 94-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings, who entered the night with one win in nine tries.
There were all the hallmarks of an NBA upset — the Thunder’s apathy in pursuit of loose balls, its late defensive breakdowns, particularly when Kings rookie De’Aaron Fox got into the lane to create offense for his team.
But mostly, there was an offense that was badly out of rhythm, that hit the wrong chords when it so desperately needed some string music.
The Thunder shot 33.7 percent from the floor. Its trio of offensive stars, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, combined for 48 points on 15-of-54 shooting.
And though it led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter, it never looked quite right, never looked settled in.
By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder’s shooting had dropped to 29.5 percent. It entered the fourth quarter 18 of 61 from the floor and 5 of 27 from 3-point range. The Kings, who trailed 25-10 after the first quarter, led by as many as 12 in the third and by 10 entering the fourth, 67-57.
Even as poorly as OKC had played, a surge seemed inevitable against the lowly Kings, and it came.
Jerami Grant’s tip-in with 4:29 to play pulled the Thunder to within a point at 77-76.
But the Thunder comeback felt like good fortune more than a turning of the tide. The Kings scored the next six points, including a Buddy Hield 3-pointer with 3:55 to play and a Zach Randolph jumper 33 seconds later, to take an 83-76 lead with 3:22 to play.
Randolph finished with 18 points, and the Thunder struggled to stop his finishes around the basket — or to find him when Fox drove and dished. His contested shots in the paint called to mind his days as OKC’s Memphis nemesis.
But the Kings have a budding young thorn in the Thunder’s side, too.
Hield finished with a season-high 21 points on 7 of 9 shooting. It was reminiscent of the 16-point game he’d had in Oklahoma City a year ago, the start of a surge during his rookie season in New Orleans.
For all its defensive shortcomings, though, it was the Thunder’s offense that was most out of sorts.
Westbrook had 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, but four of those assists came on OKC’s first four baskets of the game. He shot 7 of 21, including 2 of 8 from 3-point range. Anthony had 16 points but made 4 of 17 shots. He shot 3 for 9 from 3-point range, as did George, who was 4 for 16 overall and scored 12 points.
OKC shot 38.1 percent in the quarter, but the Kings made 4 of 25 shots, and the Thunder led 25-10 after one.
But Hield helped reverse the teams’ fortunes in the second quarter. The former Oklahoma star made all four of his shots in second and 6 of 7 in the first half overall, sparking a Kings surge. Sacramento outscored the Thunder 32-16 in the second quarter to take a 42-41 lead into halftime.
Oklahoma City’s offense continued to struggle in the second quarter — the Thunder shot 5 of 19, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range — and its defense followed suit. The Kings made 12 of 17 shots in the quarter, including 5 of 7 3-pointers.
That energized Sacramento, which entered desperate for a win.
The Thunder left equally in need, its road show headed to Denver looking like a team a long way from making the sort of offensive music it had anticipated.