Kings win again vs. Thunder
De’Aaron Fox continued his streak of 30-point games to extend his Sacramentoera franchise record and the Kings beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday to win their third consecutive game since the All-Star break.
The Kings withstood a series of punches from Oklahoma City in the second and third quarters and utilized a lineup they’ve tried scarcely all season to close out a 124-115 victory. Then they hurried back to their nearby hotel amid tornado sirens as the Oklahoma City area awaited a storm that has hit much of the western United States.
But the Kings didn’t leave the Paycom Center without one of their loudest locker room celebrations to date.
They had to recognize legendary radio play-byplay announcer Gary Gerould, who called his 3,000th game Sunday. The Kings gave Gerould the coveted defensive player of the game chain, and the necessary purple laser and fog show that accompanied all other victories this season.
Head coach Mike Brown was asked after the game if rookie Keegan Murray earned the chain thanks to his team-leading three steals. Brown went into deadpan mode.
“On defense, my No. 1 staple is communication,” Brown said. “Communication is a huge, huge, huge staple of mine. So the guy that communicated the most within our organization is G-Man, so G-Man got the defensive player chain tonight. He’s communicated for 3,000 games for us. That’s an unprecedented mark, so he definitely deserved the defensive player of the game tonight.”
Gerould did his first Kings’ game in 1985 and has been the radio voice of the team through the thick and thin. He’s one of the most cherished members of the organization and has been at his post for 38 seasons.
“It was mind blowing,” Gerould told The Sacramento Bee as he was being informed team buses were leaving quickly to avoid the incoming storm. “Communication’s important on defense so I get the defensive player of the game chain draped around me . ... It just absolutely blew my mind.”
The team gave Gerould a custom “GMan” jersey — No. 3,000 — and a ball autographed by each player. His eyes welled up when asked about the gestures from a team that is on track to end its 16-year playoff drought.
“I’m blessed,” he said. “I’m just so thankful that I have the opportunity to do what I do. And I’m so fortunate that I have my health. I still have a passion for this game and an organization that shows their support. You can’t put in words what that means, but it’s extraordinarily special.”