Game Preview: Thunder Face Kings in Last Road Game of Season
On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Sacramento Kings for the second time in three days. As part of a mini series that we’ve seen across the league quite a bit this season, the Thunder will hope things go much better than on Sunday night where they were throttled by the Kings.
This will be the Thunder’s last road game of the season, coming into the game with a 12-23 record away from Chesapeake Energy Arena on the season. After Tuesday’s matchup, OKC will travel back home for two more games before their season comes to a close.
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 9-point underdogs to the Kings and the total over/under is 223.5 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
In the first of two matchups against the Kings, Oklahoma City suffered a 28-point loss. Now, on Tuesday, they’ll get a chance at redemption as they wrap up their mini series.
The Thunder really struggled from the floor on Sunday night and didn’t score 30 points in any quarter. OKC shot 13.8 perfect worse than Sacramento from the floor and were especially bad from deep, converting on just 29.7 percent of their 3-point attempts. While the Thunder got to the line 29 times, they only converted on 19, bringing their free throw rate on the night to a dismal 65.5 percent.
The Thunder, who are typically an excellent rebounding team, got beat on the glass by 13 to the worst rebounding team in the NBA in the Kings.
Turnovers started out as an issue for Oklahoma City, committing seven in the first quarter. However, they did a great job at taking care of the ball the rest of the way, finishing with just 14 on the night.
If the Thunder can generate quality shots, crash the boards and take care of the ball, round two against Sacramento should be a much more competitive matchup.
READ MORE:
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RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (21-48) vs. Sacramento Kings (30-38)
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 9:00 PM CT
LOCATION:
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV/RADIO:
Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
FINAL WORD:
After Tuesday night's contest, the Thunder will have just two games remaining. Both being played in Oklahoma City, they will face two of the NBA's best teams in the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers.
