Gametime: 4:00 pm PT
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
Broadcast Information: KHTK Sports 1140 (Radio), Comcast SportsNet California (Local Television)
Sacramento Kings Projected Starters (14-24)
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Marcus Thornton
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Jason Thompson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Oklahoma City Thunder Projected Starters (30-10)
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Thabo Sefolosha
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Serge Ibaka
C: Kendrick Perkins
What to watch
1. Good Isaiah or Bad Isaiah
Isaiah Thomas’ play has been pretty Jekyll and Hyde lately. One night, Thomas might score 26 points on 15 shots, as he did against Cleveland last Sunday. The next night, he might score just seven points on nine attempts, as he did against Indiana on Tuesday. Against the Grizzlies, Thomas scored just 14 points on 5-of-14 attempts from the field. If Thomas’ Jekyll-and-Hyde trend holds up, he might be due for an efficient scoring night against Oklahoma City.
2. Does DeMarcus Cousins get his 14th straight double-double?
Cousins has recorded doubles-doubles in 13 consecutive contests, which matches two separate milestones. He’s tied the longest double-double streak in Sacramento era history set by LaSalle Thompson in the Kings’ inaugural season in the capital city. He’s also matched the longest active streak for double-doubles in the NBA this season set by Kevin Love and Chris Paul. He appears to be at a point where players who’ve given him trouble in the past are no longer a match for him. Against Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, you gotta like his chances tonight.
3. Can the Kings make Kevin Durant uncomfortable?
These two teams last matched up before the Kings pulled the trigger on the Rudy Gay trade. In Gay, the Kings now have a player with the size and athleticism to match up with the four-time All-Star. But Durant is just the most prolific scorer on the planet right now and there’s probably very little the Kings can do to keep him from reaching his 30.6 points per game season average. If you have any doubt about what the 25-year-old wing is capable of, just watch the highlights of his career-high 54-point performance against the Warriors on Friday.
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