NBA: De’Aaron Fox, Trey Lyles lead Kings past Thunder
FILE – De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings in action against the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center on November 30, 2021 in Sacramento, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and added 10 assists to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 131-110 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Kings, while the Thunder have lost eight of their last 10 and five consecutive games at home.
Sacramento interim coach Alvin Gentry shook up his starting lineup a bit, inserting Trey Lyles into the starting five for the first time since Lyles was acquired Feb. 10 from Detroit.
Lyles had 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Lyles had scored just 12 total points in his first four games with the Kings.
.@treylyles drops 24 points in his first start help Kings beat Thunder by 21 🙌 pic.twitter.com/w0FJGawvhq
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 1, 2022
Sacramento shot 56.3 percent from the floor, its second-best shooting performance of the season.
Harrison Barnes added 23 points in the win.
The Thunder scored the first nine points of the second half after going into halftime tied, with Tre Mann scoring five quick points while the Kings missed their first five shots coming out of halftime, turning the ball over three times in that time.
But from there, Sacramento found its footing and later in the quarter went on a 29-11 run to take control.
After their rough offensive start to the quarter, the Kings went 16 of 18 from the field to close out the third and the Thunder didn’t make a serious push for the lead in the fourth.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 37 points, making 12 of 16 from the floor and adding 10 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 30 or more points in each of his three games back since missing the final 10 games before the All-Star break with a sprained ankle.
It’s just the second time in Gilgeous-Alexander’s career that he’s reached the 30-point mark in three consecutive games.
In just his fourth NBA game, Olivier Sarr scored 12 points off the bench for the Thunder.
The Kings won the season series between the teams 3-1, winning the last three meetings after the Thunder won the first meeting.
The Thunder were without rookie Josh Giddey for the second consecutive game with right hip soreness. Before the game, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said Giddey’s return was not imminent.
Sacramento’s Richaun Holmes was a late scratch, missing his third consecutive game with back soreness after initially being declared available.
