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<\/p>\nThe Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings will experience their first NBA Cup game of the year Friday night, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Russell Westbrook face off in California\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
Oklahoma City opened the year with eight straight wins before suffering a 121-119 loss at Portland on Wednesday night, blowing a 22-point lead in the second game of a back-to-back.<\/p>\n
The Kings, on the other hand, are coming off one of their best wins of the season, a 121-116 home triumph over their Northern California rivals, the Golden State Warriors, on Wednesday, despite playing without Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray.<\/p>\n
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The West Group A combatants have already met once this season, with the Thunder needing a 17-4 game-ending run to avoid an upset and halt their season-opening winning streak.<\/p>\n
Gilgeous-Alexander saved seven of his 31 points for the late flurry in the win over the Sacramento Kings, clinching the victory with a 3-pointer that extended the Oklahoma City lead to six with 16 seconds to go.<\/p>\n
The reigning Most Valuable Player also contributed nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in the game.<\/p>\n
Counterpart Westbrook, who played his first 11 NBA seasons with the Thunder, actually was Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s teammate for six days in July 2019.<\/p>\n
The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander on July 10 that year in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that sent Paul George west, then on July 16, they sent Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for a large package that included Chris Paul.<\/p>\n
Among other things, the defensive standouts have developed into two of the top rebounding guards in the NBA. Although Gilgeous-Alexander has had a slight edge over the past two seasons, Westbrook claimed after a 16-rebound effort against the Warriors on Wednesday that he\u2019s \u201cthe best rebounding guard ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
His season-best performance against Golden State included a triple-double with 23 points and 10 assists. This triple-double was the 204th of his career, the most in NBA history.<\/p>\n
Afterward, Westbrook was more excited about passing Jason Kidd on the NBA all-time rebounds list than about adding to his triple-double record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t even know,\u201d he insisted to reporters. \u201cI need to get that game ball. Can somebody get it for me? I need that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 16 rebounds raised Westbrook\u2019s season average to 7.1. Gilgeous-Alexander is at 5.4 after grabbing nine boards against the Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n
The nine he snatched against the Kings in the earlier meeting equaled Westbrook\u2019s total that night.<\/p>\n
Despite coming off their first loss of the season, the Thunder will take the Sacramento court undefeated in another regard. Friday is the club\u2019s NBA Cup tip-off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis team does a really good job at learning through those things,\u201d Thunder coach Mark Daigneault assured the media about the loss at Portland. \u201cWe\u2019ll learn from it and be a better team tomorrow when we wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n
More Sacramento Kings coverage from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n
In the modern NBA, the ideal shot profile prioritizes attempts at the rim or from three-point range. But each team must play to the strengths of its roster, and the 2025-26 Sacramento Kings aren\u2019t a typical roster.<\/p>\n
Just having DeMar DeRozan on the roster leads to a heavy dose of mid-range jump shots. The 36-year-old veteran leads the league in mid-range attempts with eight per game, while second-place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is nearly two attempts behind at 6.1 a night.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m certainly not about to advocate for the 28th all-time leading scorer in NBA history to alter his game in year 17.<\/p>\n
DeRozan\u2019s ability to create and convert those looks is the key skill that bolstered his Hall of Fame career and remains viable now.<\/p>\n
He has led the league in average mid-range attempts in each of the last four seasons as well. Everyone knows what DeRozan brings; it\u2019s just about formulating ideal spacing with the remaining roster.<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s not the only King to prefer that shot. In 2020-21, the last time DeRozan didn\u2019t lead that category, it was now teammate Russell Westbrook with the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n
Read more below:<\/p>\n
The Sacramento Kings Mid-Range Habit, Three-Point Problem<\/a><\/p>\n Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n Friday, November 7th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder \u2013 7:00 PM PT Thank you for reading\u00a0SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n
\nSunday, November 9th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves \u2013 6:00 PM PT
\nTuesday, November 11th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Denver Nuggets \u2013 8:00 PM PT
\nWednesday, November 12th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Atlanta Hawks \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nFriday, November 14th\u00a0\u2013 @ Minnesota Timberwolves \u2013 1:00 PM PT
\nSunday, November 16th\u00a0\u2013 @ San Antonio Spurs \u2013 1:00 PM PT<\/p>\n
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