Tag Archives: Domantas Sabonis

Sacramento Kings vs. Thunder preview (Game 16 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (14-1, 1st in the West) at Sacramento Kings (3-11, 14th in the West)
  • When: Wednesday, 19 November 2025 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: FDSN-OK
  • Offensive Rating: SAC: 109.8 (25th) / OKC: 118.7 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating: SAC: 120.4 (27th) / OKC: 103.2 (1st)
  • Net Rating: SAC: -10.6 (26th) / OKC: 15.5 (1st)

The Set-Up

In the last preview for these two teams, I essentially wrote a eulogy for Russell Westbrook’s career. The Thunder were playing at home and this was one of two possible games the Thunder faithful had to watch Westbrook ball out in person. Due to how late in the offseason it took for Sacramento to sign Westbrook and the lack of offers from other teams, it felt like we were closing in on the swan song of Westbrook’s career. Westbrook doesn’t strike as the kind of player that would announce a farewell tour. Instead, he feels like the kind of player that either retires in the offseason without warning, plays until the wheels fall off, or goes silently into the night if no team in the league shows interest in him.

With how he played in the first few games of the season, I thought we were in the “wheels are falling off” timeline. But since the first of November, Westbrook has been averaging 15.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.9 assist, and nearly 1 steal a game, with 44/38.5/73 shooting split. Nothing terribly impressive, but also nothing to where you are shoveling dirt onto a body. There is still an NBA player there, so maybe we may get another season or two of Westbrook visits to OKC. Or, honestly, this may be the last visit as an NBA player. So enjoy it. Cheer him when he’s announced and appreciate everything he’s done for OKC.

This is the 3rd and final meeting of the season between these two teams. Oklahoma City won the first meeting 107-101. After being down for most of that game, the Thunder used a 17-4 run in the final 6 minutes of the game to secure the victory. Then, the Thunder shellacked the Kings in Sacramento 132-101 in the Thunder’s first NBA Cup game.

Betting Info presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -18.5
  • O/U: 231.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
  • Aaron Wiggins – OUT (adductor strain)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (wrist)
  • Kenrich Williams – OUT (knee)

SAC

  • Keegan Murray – OUT (thumb)
  • Domantas Sabonis – OUT (knee)

Three Big Things

  1. Monster Hart – The last time these two teams played, Hartenstein scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 19 rebounds. Part of that was due to the fact that Domantas Sabonis was out that game. While we would never mistake Sabonis for being a defensive stud, we also know that he’s big enough to at least contend with Hartenstein and keep him relatively in check. The husk that is Drew Eubanks and rookie Maxime Raynaud were no match to Hart. And that same scenario plays out today with Sabonis being out.
  2. Perimeter Defense – Sacramento’s one saving grace is that they are top-10 in 3pt percentage. But in true Kangz fashion, they are 29th in 3-point attempts. In their first meeting of the season, the Kings started the game off by shooting 6-14 from 3 in the first half, buoyed by an unfathomable 3-4 shooting performance from deep for Westbrook. That shooting variance changed in the 2nd half and allowed OKC to get back in the game and eventually win. About the only chance Sacramento has in this game is in hoping for that kind of positive shot variance for an entire 48 minutes.
  3. 4th quarters – Another game, another opportunity to rest players at the end of game. Don’t discount this when the Thunder are playing deep into May and June. These moments of respite will come in handy as the season progresses and gets more difficult.

 

Sacramento Kings vs. Thunder preview (Game 5 of 82)

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  • Sacramento Kings (1-2) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)
  • When: Tuesday, 28 October 2025 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: FDSN-OK
  • Offensive Rating: SAC: 111.8 (20th) / OKC: 113.6 (18th)
  • Defensive Rating: SAC: 114.0 (14th) / OKC: 104.4 (1st)
  • Net Rating: SAC: -2.2 (18th) / OKC: 9.2 (4th)

The Set-Up

It’s kind of crazy being a fan of a team who’s extremely proficient up and down the organization. From ownership to the front office to the coaching staff to the players (and this includes their G-League team), the Oklahoma City Thunder are as efficient as they effective. It’s always been one of their key tenants in building a team culture that targets purposeful action. Things that you see in other successful organizations: the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat, the Pittsburgh Steelers, etc. Organizations that from the top on down have an expectation and a plan to execute those expectations.

Annnnnnd then, there’s the Sacramento Kings. A team whose two decade-long status as a middling team has given rise to a nickname that acts as the alter ego to their wishes of a well run organization: the Kangz. The Kings of the early 2000’s that featured Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and Doug Christie were the darlings of the NBA. Unfortunately, they ran into the beginning run of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers and were never able to scale that mountain. From there, it’s been flub after flub that has kept the team at or near the middle and away from the talent of the early lottery. When they’ve had the opportunity to draft high in the lottery, they’ve completely blown it (namely, 2018 when they drafted Marvin Bagley III over Luka Doncic). When they’ve gotten good young talent (De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis), they haven’t been able to build a team around them and sustain any type of success. Now, they are just trying their best to stay above water which will net them another middle of the pack season where they will be in the high lottery. Thank the basketball gods that I reside in Oklahoma.

This is the first of three meetings this season between the Kings and Thunder. The Thunder swept the season series last year, winning by an average of 23.7 points and have won five in a row against the Kings.

Betting Info presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -10.5
  • O/U: 227.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Chet Holmgren – OUT (back soreness)
  • Isaiah Joe – OUT (knee)
  • Thomas Sorber – OUT (knee – ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (testicular procedure)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (wrist)
  • Kenrich Williams – OUT (knee)

SAC

  • Nique Clifford – OUT (hamstring)
  • Keegan Murray – OUT (thumb)

Three Big Things

  1. Strengths vs. Weaknesses – The Sacramento Kings are defensively weak on the interior. They allow 56 points per game in the paint (24th), 22.3 points off turnovers (28th), 18.3 second chance points (24th), and are last in the league in rebounds grabbed. Conversely, the Thunder score 54.5 points in the paint (10th), 22.3 points off turnovers (5th), and are 4th in the league in rebounds, which opens up the opportunity for 2nd chance points.
  2. Two-big Lineup – One of the biggest storylines heading into this season was whether the Thunder would continue to lean into the 2-big lineup or start to move away from it. Four games in, the Thunder have started the 2-big lineup in all the games and each of the big men is averaging a double/double. Last season, in 316 minutes played, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein had an offensive rating of 122.9, a defensive rating of 109.4, and a net rating of 13.5. This season, the offensive rating is 123.1, the defensive rating is 104.3, and the net rating is 18.8. In 2-man lineups that have played at least 80 minutes (20 minutes/game), the 2-big line-up is second behind the SGA/Cason Wallace 2-man lineup. In short, the two-big lineup is working much better so far this season.
  3. Russell Westbrook – There may not be too many more opportunities to see the King of the Prairie in his original field of play. Russell Westbrook was who OKC needed when they needed a hero the most. We all know what Russ means to the franchise. He’ll be the second number in the rafters and the first statue outside the arena. He’ll likely have a street in the city named after him. But we all saw how uneasy it was waiting for Westbrook to sign with the Kings a week before the season started. We don’t know when the end will come, but we all know the end is near. So appreciate any opportunity to cheer Westbrook on. On this team, he is no longer a threat like he was with the Denver Nuggets. Do what we do and give the man a raucous applause when he enters the game…because we don’t know how many more times we have to do this.

Thunder @ Sacramento Kings preview (Game 72 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (59-12) at Sacramento Kings (35-36)
  • When: Tuesday, 25 March 2025 at 9:00PM CST
  • Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
  • Offensive Rating – SAC: 115.7 (7th) / OKC: 118.9 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – SAC: 115.1 (20th) / OKC: 106.2 (1st)
  • Net Rating – SAC: 0.6 (15th) / OKC: 12.7 (1st)

The Set-Up

To understand how dominant the Thunder have been this season, you have to look at things from the perspective of player advanced metrics. When you look at Player Impact Estimate (PIE) and filter it for players who play at least 24 minutes a game, the Thunder have 3 players on that list (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jalen Williams). They are the only team to have three players in the top 35. As far as Offensive Rating, the Thunder have eight players in the top 50 of players who have averaged over 20 minutes a game (SGA, Chet Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, Hartenstein, Cason Wallace, and Dub). Defensively, though, is where they shine. The Thunder have eight players in the top 16 for Defensive Rating for players who have played at least 20 minutes per game. For Net Rating, that number goes 8 players in the top 15. It would almost be an understatement to say this team has been historically good this season.

This is the third meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder have won the first two meetings in convincing fashion, once in Sacramento and once in Oklahoma City. The average margin of victory for the Thunder in those two games was 27.5.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -9.5
  • O/U: 231.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Ousmane Dieng – OUT (calf)
  • Alex Ducas – OUT (quad)
  • Chet Holmgren – Questionable (hip)
  • Ajay Mitchell – OUT (toe)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
  • Cason Wallace – Questionable (knee)
  • Aaron Wiggins – Questionable (Achilles)
  • Jalen Williams – Questionable (hip)

SAC

  • Devin Carter – Questionable (illness)
  • Doug McDermott – Questionable (elbow)
  • Malik Monk – Questionable (illness)

Three Big Things

  1. Double Big – If Chet Holmgren returns tonight, this will be a good test for the double big lineup. Isaiah Hartenstein should be the Domantas Sabonis assignment, while Holmgren will have to stick onto Keegan Murray. In addition, the Kings can also trot Jonas Valanciunas out there to compete with the Thunder’s size. But as we’ve seen in the past, the Thunder would likely welcome the Valanciunas minutes with open arms.
  2. Perimeter Defense – The Kings are a mid-range oriented team. They score 60.7% of their points from 2-point range (8th in the league) and just 29.3% of their points from 3-point range (23rd in the league). For comparison, the Thunder are league average at 58% of their points coming from 2 and 42% coming from 3. That’s to be expected when two of your main offensive engines are Sabonis and mid-range king DeMar DeRozan. In addition, if Malik Monk plays, he always seems to give the Thunder fits as a microwave scorer.
  3. First to 60 – The Thunder are one of three teams in the league that still have a chance to hit the 60-win mark (Cleveland and Boston are the others). A win tonight gives them the first place ribbon in that race.

Thunder @ Los Angeles Clippers preview (Game 40 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (27-12, 2nd in the West) @ Los Angeles Clippers (25-14, 4th in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 at 9:00pm CST
  • Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  • Offensive Rating – LAC: 119.0 (6th) / OKC: 119.8 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – LAC: 113.7 (13th) / OKC: 111.1 (5th)
  • Net Rating – LAC: 5.3 (6th) / OKC: 8.7 (2nd)

The Set-Up

The saying goes, “It’s a make or miss league”. When you are making the shots, things look beautiful. But when you are struggling to make the shots, what does your team rely upon? This is the question as the Thunder continue on in a season where the expectation is no longer just the play-in or the playoffs. The expectation is now high seed and playoff advancement. That question will become a lot louder because playoff teams will try their hardest to make the Thunder do the things that make them the most uncomfortable. Last night, the Lakers allowed players like Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, and Cason Wallace to have open looks from deep. Combined, those four players shot 9/26 overall (34.6%) and 7/20 from deep (35%). The 3-point shooting was not terribly bad from that collective, but every shot that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Joe don’t take, is a win for the defense.

This is the second of three meetings this season between these two teams. On December 21st, the Thunder beat the Clippers 134-115 in Oklahoma City, on a night where the Clippers were coming into town riding a 9-game win streak.

Betting Info

  • Line: LAC -5.5
  • O/U: 237.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

LAC

  • Moussa Diabate (hand) – OUT
  • Ivica Zubac (calf) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Make Shots – Simple as that. Last night’s game turns out very differently if the guys just shoot their averages. The other team’s defense gets a little more comfortable camping out around the lane when the shots aren’t falling. Softening that by making shots will make life a little bit easier for SGA and Jalen Williams.
  2. Chet – Holmgren is still figuring out the Rubix cube that is a couple of centers around the league (namely Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis). But tonight, with Ivica Zubac out, Chet will be facing the two-headed monster of Daniel Theis and Mason Plumlee. I, hopefully, only say that in jest. He should be due for a big game tonight.
  3. Fire extinguisher – The Thunder once again face the Clippers as they come into this contest as one of the hottest teams in the league. Los Angeles has won 8 of their last 10 and is quickly moving up the standings in the West. As a team that the Thunder want to keep at bay, it will be interesting to see how the Thunder bounce back from yesterday’s loss.
  4. Bonus – Just want to say “hi” to Russell Westbrook.

Thunder @ Sacramento Kings preview (Game 9 of 82 / In-Season Tournament Game #2)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (5-3) @ Sacramento Kings (3-4)
  • When: Friday, 10 November 2023 at 9:00pm CST
  • Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
  • Offensive Rating – SAC: 109.3 (20th) / OKC: 115.2 (7th)
  • Defensive Rating – SAC: 113.4 (18th) / OKC: 113.9 (20th)
  • Net Rating – SAC: -4.1 (21st) / OKC: 1.3 (15th)

The Set-Up

The In-Season Tournament has actually succeeded in making some games matter in a time when regular season games usually don’t. I know. I know. Spare me the “all 82 games of the regular season matter” speech. If you’re a die-hard like me, you truly enjoy all 82 games. But to the lay fan, the only games that matter to them most of the time are the marquee games in the regular season and the playoffs. With this In-Season Tournament though, these four “group-play” games matter a ton if a team actually wants to make it to the elimination round and beyond.

Which is where the Thunder currently find themselves. After losing a heart-breaker to the Warriors in their first In-Season Tournament game, the Thunder now sit behind the 8-ball if their have any aspirations of playing in more than just these four “group-play” games. Two of their next 3 games are In-Season games and these are the two that would likely be considered very winnable.

Injury Report

OKC

  • Kenrich Williams (back) – Out

SAC

  • De’Aaron Fox (ankle) – Out
  • Trey Lyles (calf) – Out

Three Large Items

  1. Darn Injuries – The Sacramento Kings have struggled a bit coming out of the gates this season. While there are more than a few reasons for the struggle, the biggest reason is the absence of point guard De’Aaron Fox. He’s missed the last four games and the Kings are 1-3 without him. He is the engine that made one of the best offenses run last season and his loss has severely affected how Sacramento plays. Last season, the Kings were 12th in pace. This season, 24th. Another damning stat: last season the Kings were 13th in percentage of points off the fast break. This year, dead last.
  2. Attack the Rim – The Kings rank 18th in blocks per game. While not necessarily an indicator of how well a defense plays, Domantas Sabonis has never really been known as a rim protector. With SGA and Chet Holmgren getting more comfortable with each other on the offensive end with every game played together, this may be a situation where the Thunder can generate some easy looks based on the gravity those two players would command.
  3. Little House of Horrors – Sacramento has historically been a tough place for the Thunder to play. I’ve always called their arena(s) our little houses of horror. With what’s at stake with the In-Season Tournament, here’s hoping the Thunder man up a bit and prevent the Kings from lighting the beam.

The Week That Was: 23-29 October 2017

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big 3This “superteam” was supposed to be 6-0 and on their way to the first 96-0 (82 + 16 playoff games) record in league history. The Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to leading the league in Offensive and Defensive Rating. They were supposed to be winning games by at least a margin of 20+ per game and Dakari Johnson should now have six games worth of experience under his belt.

Instead the Thunder find themselves at only 3-3. Chemistry is still an issue as they attempt to assimilate three alpha-dog scorers into a cohesive system. It is no longer just grab the ball and score, as all three have been used to throughout their careers. Now, it’s run the offense until there’s an open shot and if nothing develops, then revert back to your natural instinct of isolation dominance. All the while, there are two other players out there on the floor that can be involved in the offense also.

It’s going to take some time. We can look back at all the other recent iterations of super teams and see that there were adjustment periods for all of them. Some of those teams adjusted quickly, like the Warriors of last year and the Celtics of 2007-08. Others took at least a season to find themselves, like the 2010-11 Miami Heat. But they all eventually found success. Continue reading →

NTTB Rumblings – 26 October 2017

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cropped-nowthatsthunderbasketball_sheriffbadge1.jpg

Great win last night. Sure wish Oladipo could have consistently played like that for the Thunder last season.

Jeremy Lambert (Thunderous Intentions) would like to remind you the sky is not falling in regards to the Thunder: “We’re one week into the NBA season and the OKC Thunder sit at 2-2. Not a bad record, but given the firepower on the squad, most fans probably hoped for better. And it could be 3-1 if not for an Andrew Wiggins buzzer beater, so the sky isn’t exactly falling. That’s the theme for this column: the sky is not falling. Neither is Paul George’s shot, Russell Westbrook’s free throws or Andre Roberson’s anything.”

Royce Young (ESPN) on Paul George’s struggles against his former team: “George then fouled out with 6:15 left in the fourth, with only 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting in 19 minutes. “That hasn’t happened often in my career,” George said of winning the game despite his struggles. “Fortunate to have those guys carry me. They knew how big this game was for me, and they went out and got it for me.”

The Thunder opened up a new basketball court in Calumet.  Continue reading →

Pacers vs. Thunder preview (Game 4 of 82)

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pacersvs. okc logo

  • When: Wednesday, 25 October 2017 at 7:00 pm CST
  • Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -14.5 | O/U – 218

I’ve never been a huge fan of moral victories. It feels like a gateway to developing a losing mentality. The great, “Oh, we lost, but…” A team says that enough times and failure becomes an acceptable habit. “Missed it by this much” becomes the norm.

Sunday’s loss felt different, though. Yes, it was definitely a moral victory, which means it was a loss. But it felt like the team discovered something about itself in that fourth quarter (almost) comeback. Russell Westbrook, who has had to adjust on the fly to having two scoring wings next to him, reverted back to what felt natural to him. And it worked. Shots fell. The team got stops. And what started as a 13-point deficit heading into the quarter turned into a one point lead with 5 seconds left. Of course, we all know what transpired after that as Andrew Wiggins and the three referees made sure Minnesota came out of that game with a victory (shouts out to you, Last 2-Minutes report).  Continue reading →

Paul George traded to the Thunder

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westbrook george

Sarah Phipps – The Oklahoman

Just as I was about to release a primer for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s foray into this summer’s free agency, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN dropped this bomb:

It was just 12 days ago that George put out the feelers that he wanted out of Indiana and was not going to re-sign with the Pacers when his contract expired after the 2017-18 season. I wrote about the Thunder’s chances of obtaining George when the statement came out. He included in his statement that he had an eye towards signing in his native Los Angeles when he became a free agent. That statement was released a full three days before the draft. The timing of the statement was no accident.  Continue reading →

Thunder Draft Options: Standing Firm at 21

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NCAA BASKETBALL: JAN 02 Indiana at Nebraska

Oklahoma City comes into this draft with only one pick: no. 21 in the first round. There are options to move up, move down, or trade. But another scenario would be the Thunder staying at 21 and drafting a player there. Luckily for them, this is an incredibly deep draft with talented players scattered all they way into the first third of the second round. With that said, there are also disclaimers. Picking in the 20’s is a crap shoot. For every Reggie Jackson or Serge Ibaka the Thunder have drafted in the 20’s, there’s also a Mitch McGary or Byron Mullens.

There are a number of factors that could come into play with this draft pick. Are the Thunder looking for someone that could play immediately as a role player? Or are they looking for someone with more upside that could possibly be more than a role player once they fully develop? Players that can fit into a role immediately are usually older players that have several seasons of either college experience or international play under their belt. A good example of that from the Thunder would be Alex Abrines, who was able to step into the role of floor spacer after about the first quarter of the season. Domantas Sabonis, on the other hand, had only two years of experience at Gonzaga, and is more of a developmental project for the Thunder. The Sabonis the Thunder get in 2 years will likely be a much different player than the Sabonis they had last season.

With that said, here are 5 options the Thunder may choose from their draft spot at 21. Continue reading →