Kings’ lackluster paint defense exposed in blowout loss to OKC

admin-cdn17 hours ago

0 0 4 minutes read

Kings’ lackluster paint defense exposed in blowout loss to OKC

The Sacramento Kings are not known for their ability to protect the paint, and a matchup against the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder further exposed that area of weakness.

Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein had a career night in the paint to help lead Oklahoma City to a 132-101 win over Sacramento at Golden 1 Center on Friday night in what was the first of four NBA Cup Group Play games for the Beam Team.

Russell Westbrook had another strong showing for the Kings (3-6), but the Thunder had a complete field day in the pain, outscoring Sacramento 60-34 and taking full advantage of a lineup that was without star center Domantas Sabonis for the second straight game.

The Kings had one of their better performances from beyond the arc of the young season, but it wasn’t enough to knock off the defending champs as Sacramento fell to 1-1 on this five-game homestand.

Russ on the drive 💨 pic.twitter.com/R8TVNmGho9

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 8, 2025

Kings vs. Thunder recap & takeaways

48 hours removed from a vintage performance against Golden State, Russell Westbrook picked up right where he left off against his longtime former team.

Westbrook, who entered the night shooting 43 percent from downtown over the first eight games of the season, knocked down three of his first four attempts from deep during the first quarter to lead all scorers with 11 points. Sacramento caught fire as a team in the opening frame, shooting seven-of-14 from beyond the arc to give itself a two-point lead heading into the second period.

After shooting just 23 triples during Wednesday’s win over the Warriors (11-of-23, 47%), the Kings were much more aggressive in letting it fly against Oklahoma City.

Sacramento went 11-of-22 from beyond the arc during the first half, which kept them close as the Thunder had a field day in the Kings’ paint. Oklahoma City outscored Sacramento 36-14 in the paint before the break, with center Isaiah Hartenstein nearly scoring a new career-high in the first half alone (20 points; career-high is 24 points).

As well as Westbrook (16 points and seven assists) and DeMar DeRozan (11 points) played in the first half, Sacramento’s struggles to protect the paint put them in a 14-point hole heading into the second half.

The Thunder outscored the Kings 40-24 in the second quarter while shooting 66 percent from the field to put themselves in a great spot to improve to 1-0 in NBA Cup Group Play.

11 first-quarter points for Brodie 😤 https://t.co/Fc9qt5cUIB pic.twitter.com/tkHFXcO745

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 8, 2025

The second half was more of the same from Oklahoma City, as the Thunder ended the third period with double the paint points that Sacramento had scored thus far (52-26).

Between Hartenstein’s career night and an MVP-esque performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Kings already concerning defense had its warts further exposed as Oklahoma City coasted to an easy win, improving to 9-1 on the young season.

It’s easy to pull the “they were playing the reigning champions” card when assessing Sacramento’s performance on Friday, with the fact that both Domantas Sabonis (ribs) and Keegan Murray (hand) were out of action, but it’s hard to envision things being all that different even with both players in the front court.

Sabonis is not a rim protector, and while having Murray’s on-ball defense would surely have helped, the Kings’ interior defense — or lack thereof — continues to be an Achilles’ heel, as it has been over the past three-plus seasons.

Sacramento entered the night ranked 25th in paint defense, allowing an average of 54.7 points per game inside the key this season, and Oklahoma City got downhill and near the basket with ease on Friday night, shooting 66 percent on attempts in the paint en route to a laugher of a win.

And counting 📈 https://t.co/blZOmYAjwZ pic.twitter.com/E41QQLRc5q

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2025

There is no easy fix for this Sacramento Kings defense.

Keon Ellis, the Kings’ best defender, didn’t enter the game until the fourth quarter. Doug Christie’s rotations will get even more cluttered once Sabonis and Murray return, likely leaving one of Ellis or first-round pick Nique Clifford on the outside looking in come the end of November.

As previously mentioned, Sabonis is not an imposing presence in the paint on defense. Drew Eubanks is averaging 0.8 blocks per game over the course of his NBA career. Recently signed big man Precious Achiuwa has looked rusty in his first two showings, but Sacramento brought the veteran in to provide this roster with another option who can bring physicality on the glass and in the paint.

“We’re not doing it at a high level right now,” Russell Westbrook said of the Kings’ struggles on the defensive end. “I think we need to look at the film and figure out how we can guard better man-to-man.”

Notes & Stats

Russell Westbrook has scored 20+ points in three straight games for Sacramento. This marks the first time that Westbrook has scored 20+ in 3+ consecutive games since January 2023 when Westbrook played for the Lakers.

Sacramento Kings Injury Report

Domantas Sabonis (rib contusion) missed his second-straight game on Friday night. Sabonis underwent an X-ray that came back negative after suffering an injury during Monday’s loss in Denver. Sabonis, who also missed Wednesday’s game vs. Golden State, is considered day-to-day.

Keegan Murray (left thumb, UCL injury recovery) is due to be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

The Sacramento Kings will continue a five-game homestand on Sunday night when they face Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center.

Last season, the Kings and Timberwolves split a four-game regular-season series, with Sacramento winning two games on the road at Target Center but dropping both contests at home.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. T-Wolves action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 4:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 6:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.