OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –
The Oklahoma City Thunder return home Wednesday riding a six-game winning streak after beating New Orleans with a historic offensive outburst Monday night. OKC opened the game with a franchise-record 49-point first quarter, forcing six Pelicans turnovers in the opening six minutes and turning them into 13 immediate points during a 24-8 start.
Chet Holmgren powered the early surge with 26 points and nine rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 23 on just nine shot attempts, and Lu Dort broke loose with 17 points, including three early 3-pointers that fueled a 23-5 run.
The victory was OKC’s 14th in 15 games, strengthening the league’s best record.
Lightning Fast: OKC Pounces Early and Never Looks Back
By the time OKC led 36-11 late in the first quarter, the Thunder had scored on 15 of their previous 17 possessions. The Pelicans cut the deficit to 13 by halftime, but the Thunder reasserted control with a 24-11 start to the third quarter. Holmgren capped the run with a corner 3 and a backdoor dunk to push the lead to 93-67.
Isaiah Hartenstein added 16 points, Isaiah Joe provided perimeter spacing, and Gilgeous-Alexander sat out the fourth quarter for the ninth time this season — a product of OKC’s overwhelming margins.
Dort’s Two-Way Impact Remains Central
While Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren continue to drive Oklahoma City’s surge, Lu Dort’s defensive presence has been equally important.
“Lu’s impact is unwritten a lot of nights,” Holmgren said. “It doesn’t show up in the numbers, but it shows up on the scoreboard.”
Dort’s ball pressure is one reason OKC owns the NBA’s top defensive rating (104.5) and league-best net rating (+15.2). Since returning from a five-game injury absence, he’s 5-of-8 from deep, and Monday’s performance marked his first four-three-pointer game since the NBA Finals.
“That’s how I made my name in this league,” Dort said. “It’s not always the box score.”
Kings Struggling, Dropping Six Straight
Sacramento arrives in Oklahoma City having lost six consecutive games, a slide that began with OKC’s 132-101 win in Sacramento on Nov. 7. The Thunder dominated the paint that night, scoring 60 points inside behind Hartenstein’s career-high 33 points — the first 30-point game of his eight-year career.
Paint defense remains a major issue for the Kings, who allow 55.6 points per game inside, one of the worst marks in the league.
“We’ve got to contain the basketball, that’s first and foremost,” Kings coach Doug Christie said.
Sacramento also continues to struggle with slow starts. The Kings fell behind by double digits in the first quarter again Sunday at San Antonio and never recovered.
Thunder Trends: Best Team in Basketball
Oklahoma City’s six-game winning streak began with that Nov. 7 victory at Sacramento, and none of the six wins have been decided by fewer than 13 points. During the streak, OKC is outscoring opponents by 21.3 points per game.
The Thunder are 10-1 against Western Conference teams and rank fourth in the West in rebounding (46.6 per game). Hartenstein leads the team with 10.9 rebounds per game, while Holmgren is averaging 26.0 points over his last 10 games.
Kings Trends: Offense Outpaces Defense
Sacramento is 2-9 against the West and just 3-11 against teams over .500. The Kings average 112.9 points, but allow 128.3 per game over their last 10, a major reason for their 2-8 stretch.
Russell Westbrook enters averaging 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, while Dennis Schroder has averaged 5.0 made threes per game over his last 10, both are former members of the Thunder.
Season Series Finale
Wednesday marks the third and final meeting between the teams. OKC won 107-101 on Oct. 28 and 132-101 on Nov. 7.
The Thunder are shooting 47.9% from the field this season, slightly below the 51.0% Sacramento allows. The Kings score 6.5 more points per game than OKC concedes, but the Thunder’s defense has dominated the series so far.
Where to Watch
Thunder vs. Kings
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 19
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
TV: FanDuel Sports Network