Thunder Jump to Third-Best Lottery Odds After Loss to Kings
While the Oklahoma City Thunder lost their seventh-straight game on Sunday night, it worked out in their favor long-term as they took sole possession of the third-best draft lottery odds with a record of 21-48. While it hasn't been the playoff-caliber season that Oklahoma City typically has, they've given all of their young players plenty of opportunity to grow and develop as NBA players this season.
Against the Kings on Sunday, the Thunder fell by a final score of 126-98 in a game that wasn't close beyond the first quarter. Nonetheless, it's time for OKC to reset on an off-day and get prepared for yet another contest against the Kings later this week.
Svi Mykhailiuk continued his hot shooting streak, finishing with 14 points on Sunday night after a 17-point performance against the Warriors the game before. On the season, he's notched 14 double-digit scoring games through 28 contests with OKC, including two of 20 or more points.
While he's historically been known as a shooter, converting on 36.2 percent of his career triples, Mykhailiuk has shown a bit of everything this season. An excellent passer and capable defender standing at 6-foot-8, the Ukrainian has proven to be a quality contributor for the Thunder on both ends of the floor in his short stint with the team thus far.
The Kings came out with an extremely balanced scoring attack, as eight players scored in double-digits, including four players with at least 15 points. Moe Harkless and Terence Davis led the way for Sacramento with 18 points each in their blowout of OKC.
The Thunder had five players with ten or more points, including two-way player Jaylen Hoard who scored a career-high 16 points on Sunday. Darius Bazley led all Thunder players in scoring with 18 points to go along with six rebounds.
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Moses Brown had an extremely well-rounded game, producing 12 points, 9 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Doing a little bit of everything, he showed exactly why the Thunder converted him to a two-way contract. While his individual defense is still not where it needs to be, Brown has proven to be a quality rim protector and capable of using his reach to disrupt passing lanes.
Standing at 7-foot-2, Brown is typically the tallest player on the floor at any given time. He's part of the jumbo lineup Mark Daigneault rolled out tonight in what was one of the largest starting lineups in the NBA this season. In his eyes, that's a lineup he wants to continue to potentially use.
“It’s worth something to continue to take a look at," said Daigneault. "I thought it was pretty good.”
Still just 21 years old, it's extremely unclear what Brown's ceiling might look like. Nonetheless, on a team-friendly contract in Oklahoma City for the next several years, even if he's able to be a solid backup big, he will be worth every penny.
Both teams will get a rest day tomorrow before matching up again in Sacramento on Tuesday in the second game of their mini series. After the blowout on Sunday night, the Thunder will have quite a few adjustments to make after watching film and hope to get a few of their key pieces back from injury. OKC now has just three remaining games in the 2020-21 season and currently hold the third-best draft lottery odds.
