Fourth Quarter Rally Not Enough as Thunder Fall to the Kings 103-99

After a dismal shooting performance over the first three quarters, OKC caught fire late to push Sacramento to the brink.

The Oklahoma City Thunder battled to the bitter end, but ultimately fell short hosting the Sacramento Kings 103-99 on Tuesday night.

Suffering a rough shooting night for the first three quarters, the OKC offense came alive down the stretch. Outscoring the Kings 30-22 over the final 12 minutes, the Thunder shot 44 percent from the field in the fourth quarter to erase a once 17-point deficit.

While the Thunder struggled from the field in the first three quarters, shooting just 32 percent from the field, they stayed in the game with their lock down defense.

“We just didn’t finish a lot of plays, but the defense kind of kept us in it,” OKC head coach Mark Daigneault said in his post game Zoom press confernece. “Especially when we were down 10 or 12 late, I thought the guys did a really good job of buckling down defensively. And then we ran and were able to get some easy stuff down the other end.

“So I appreciate the effort again. I thought we really fought and gave ourselves a chance down the stretch.”

And for the second straight game, the major chance fell to Isaiah Roby.

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Down three points with under 15 seconds to play, Theo Maledon drove to the bucket knowing the Thunder had an extra timeout and could afford a quick two.

But as he got into the paint, he found a wide open Roby who lined up a potentially game-tying triple with 8.3 second left, but the ball rattled around the rim and back out, essentially sealing the win for the Kings.

“He had a good look the other night against Phoenix,” Daigneault said. “He took really confident good shots in those situations. He stepped in and took a confident shot that was halfway down, and so those are tough calls.”

Roby’s triple would have capped off a furious rally, led by Darius Bazley’s 10 fourth quarter points. With no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Aleksej Pokusevski, the second year forward got an opportunity to start at the small forward spot, and he did not disappoint. Leading all scorers, Bazley poured in 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the floor, adding 11 rebounds and three assists.

While Bazley was the focal point of the Thunder offense late in the fourth, Jalen Hoard and Gabriel Deck stepped in to help spark the comeback toward the end of the third quarter.

Gabriel Deck continues to impress for the Thunder with his solid defense and his highly efficient inside game :: Alonzo Adams / USA TODAY Sports

In just his fourth game in an Oklahoma City uniform, Deck scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, hauling in three rebounds and dishing out three assists while showing the kind of asset he can be on the defensive end of the floor.

“He fits in well,” Bazley said after the game. “He’s been playing great with his passing. He was rebounding the heck out of the ball tonight. We’re getting a chance to see his game.

“We’re all learning him just as he is learning us, but it’s been really good playing with him.”

Hoard also helped ignite the team with great effort on hustle plays, diving for loose balls and doing whatever it took to help propel the Thunder back into the game. Even though his minutes have been inconsistent since joining OKC, Hoard credited his mindset as how he’s been able to stay ready and prepared to impact games.

“You still gotta be locked in and ready at any time because your name can be called like today,” Hoard said after the game. “My main thing is just continuing to work hard.

“Whenever my name is called I’m always ready.”

Oklahoma City will need all hands on deck as they kick off a four-game road swing. Playing consecutive games against the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, OKC will spend the better part of the next seven days camped out on the West Coast.

Up first, the Thunder will head to Golden State on Thursday night. Tip-off against the Warriors is slated for 9 p.m.