The red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to bounce back at home as they face the Sacramento Kings tonight at 8 p.m. ET. OKC enters as a 9-point favorite, even after a tough loss to Golden State earlier this week.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just put up an incredible 52 points in that Warriors game, though it wasn’t enough to get the win.
The Thunder have been nearly unbeatable at home this season, posting a stellar 19-3 record at Paycom Center. They’re sitting pretty at the top of the Western Conference with a 37-10 record.
But they’ll be shorthanded tonight. Chet Holmgren is out with a hip injury, while Alex Caruso, Nikola Topic, and Ajay Mitchell are all sidelined too.
The Kings haven’t exactly been rolling lately. They’ve lost three of their last four games, including a frustrating collapse against the 76ers on Wednesday where they blew a 12-point lead.
"Once we get a lead, we have to just learn to step on somebody’s neck and put them away," Kings interim coach Doug Christie said after that loss.
Sacramento’s been decent on the road this year with an 11-11 record, but they’re in the middle of a grueling six-game road trip.
There’s some good news for OKC fans though – Jalen Williams just got his first All-Star nod, adding to the team’s momentum.
The Thunder have been on fire lately, averaging 120.4 points over their last 10 games while shooting a sharp 48.1% from the field.
History favors Sacramento in this matchup – they’ve won 11 of the last 15 meetings between these teams. But OKC’s been tough against Pacific Division teams lately, winning 6 of their last 7 such matchups.
You can catch the game on Bally Sports Southwest or NBA League Pass. The stats and odds suggest OKC should take this one – they’ve got about a 75% chance of winning according to ESPN’s calculations.
