What we learned as SGA, Thunder outshine Kings in fourth straight loss

What we learned as SGA, Thunder outshine Kings in fourth straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – The Kings lost their fourth consecutive game and dropped to 4-6 at home following a 130-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento experimented with a slight change to its lineup, inserting young guard Keon Ellis into the two-guard spot over sharpshooter Kevin Huerter.

And while the Kings played better as a unit for most of the night, it wasn’t enough to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the second-place Thunder.

DeMar DeRozan made up for an unusual off-night Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets, coming out aggressive from the jump with 19 first-half points. He finished with 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting, with two rebounds, six assists and one steal in 36 minutes.

Sabonis recorded his 15th double-double this season with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block in 35 minutes.

With much of the game a back-and-forth battle, OKC’s 15-4 run in the third quarter helped the Thunder outscore the Kings 34-22 in the quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field and 4 of 8 from downtown, with four rebounds and 11 assists in 35 minutes. Jalen Williams added 28 points and Isaiah Hartenstein added 17.

Sacramento couldn’t dig itself out the hole, and it fell to 8-10 on the 2024-25 NBA season. Here are the takeaways from the loss:

Lineup Shake-up

After losing three in a row and four of their last five, it was time for a change.

Kings coach Mike Brown placed Ellis into the starting lineup for Huerter, who has struggled to find an offensive rhythm as of late.

Ellis started one previous game this season, again in place of Huerter, who sat out with an illness against the Miami Heat on Nov. 4. But Huerter wasn’t injured or sick this time. Huerter’s defense has improved this season, but he’s shooting just 29 percent from 3-point range through 15 games.

In 16 games this season, Ellis is averaging seven points on 47.4-percent shooting from the field and 43.4 percent from 3-point range, with two rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 21.4 minutes.

He finished Monday’s game with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 from deep, adding one rebound, three assists and one steal in 28 minutes.

Huerter played just 10 minutes — a season-low — and was held scoreless in limited action.

Sacramento’s Sixth Man Returns

The man who single-handedly can make Golden 1 Center erupt at any given moment did exactly that the second he stepped foot onto the court for the first time in 15 days.

Malik Monk was welcomed back with a loud ovation from Kings fans after missing the last seven games with an ankle injury.

Without Monk, Sacramento’s bench basically has been nonexistent.

In his return, the spark he is known and loved for returned with him. Less than two minutes after checking in, Monk’s first shot attempt was nothing but net from 28 feet.

His aggressiveness carried over into the second quarter, finishing with eight first-half points.

Monk finished with a bench-high 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field and 2 of 7 from deep, with one rebound, three assists, one steal and one block in 26 minutes off the bench.

In Sunday’s deflating loss to the Nets, Sacramento’s bench scored nine total points. Ellis scored all nine.

The bench still raises concern for the Kings, but Monk’s presence alone will surely help.

Fox vs. SGA

Monday’s contest drew a fun matchup between two of the most exciting young guards in the league. Both players have been playing great basketball for their teams this season — with fairly similar numbers.

Fox entered the game averaging 28.9 points on 51.5-percent shooting from the field and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line, with 4.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 17 games.

Meanwhile, Gileous-Alexander is averaging 28.7 points on 50-percent shooting from the field and 89.6 percent from the charity stripe, in addition to 5.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 16 games.

While Fox has been putting on a clinic over the past few games, Monday was all about Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA stole the spotlight in Fox’s house, finishing with a game-high 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field and 4 of 8 from downtown, with four rebounds and 11 assists in 35 minutes.

Fox had 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and 1 of 5 from long range, with three rebounds, five assists and one steal in a a game-high 40 minutes.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast