Thunder's Streak Ends in Sacramento 94-93, Still, There Were Some Positives
Chris Paul had a chance to extend the Thunder's three-game win streak, but his last-second stepback jumper fell short, and Oklahoma City comes out on the low side 94-93 in Sacramento. Paul's jumper came on the ensuing possession after Bogdon Bogdanovic nailed what turned out to be the game-winning three giving the Kings the lead with 13.4 seconds left.
Despite the loss, there some positives to take from this game. Abdel Nader continues to prove his worth. Nader follows Monday night's 4-8 10 point performance with a career-high five three-pointers scoring 15 on Wednesday, including a game tieing 26 footer with 2:36 left in the fourth quarter.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is showing he can be a closer. Gilgeous-Alexander may have had a rough shooting night, but hit two big free-throws that gave Oklahoma City a 93-91 lead at the half minute mark.
How good is Dennis Schroder? Consider this, coming into Wednesday night's game with the Kings Schroder was averaging 16.7 points per game off the bench. The only other player in Thunder history to average higher off the bench for a season is James Harden. In 2011-2012 Harden gave Oklahoma City 16.9 points per game.
Over his last five games, Schroder has scored at least 17 points and shot no worse than 8-17 from the field. Schroder is efficient and reliable. When the Thunder started 6 for 20 from the floor, it was Schroder who was keeping his team in the game, giving the Thunder a chance to take a 47-38 lead into the half. Schroder finished Wednesday's loss with 17 points.
Danilo Gallinari returned to the lineup after being out on Monday in Utah. Gallinari wasn't showing any signs of being slowed by his ankle injury. Gallinari gave Oklahoma City 33 minutes and he gets a couple of days to rest.
The Thunder are 2-1 on this four-game road trip and 11-13 for the season. Oklahoma City has its first meeting with former Thunder Jerami Grant on Saturday night in Denver. Tipoff is set for eight on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
