Kings aim to secure consecutive road victories against Thunder in NBA showdown

The Kings will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they complete a three-game road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Times are tough for the Sacramento Kings, who are 10 games over .500 for the first time since going 50-32 in 2004-05.

The Kings will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they complete a three-game road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

The teams meet for the second time in three days after beating the Sacramento Thunder 124-115 on Sunday night.

De'Aaron Fox had 33 points and eight assists to lead the Kings in scoring at 120.7 points per game. Kegan Murray scored 20 points and Domantas Sabonis had 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in the win.

Two days after edging the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime, the Kings made another strong run against Oklahoma City.

Sacramento outscored the Thunder by 13 points and never trailed in the contest. The Kings shot 52.9 percent from the field and were 18 of 43 (41.9 percent) from 3-point range.

"The thing about defending them for 48 minutes is that they play hard, they have good creators and they shoot everywhere," Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. "So it's not easy to do it. But if you want to win the game, here's what you need to do. "

Fox averaged 34.4 points, 6.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals on 57.9 percent shooting from the field through his last 57 games.

Sacramento, currently the third seed in the Western Conference, believes it has the staying power to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive winning seasons.

"I think all the guys in the jersey know we're a good team," Murray said. "We're going to prove it to everyone around the league."

The Kings are looking for a three-game series in Oklahoma City without All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the third straight game.

Thunder's Gilgeous-Alexander day-to-day with abdominal strain and ankle pain, ranked fifth in league scoring with 31.0 PPG.

In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander, third-year guard Isaiah Joe averaged 26 points over the past two games. Joe contributed on the defensive end, shooting 10 of 20 (50 percent) from 3-point range.

"Like I've said 100 times, he's a complete player," he said. "You can't be one-size-fits-all and play in the NBA, especially at his size. He's a fierce competitor and knows the scheme. That's what allows him to stay on the court."

Oklahoma City is on a three game losing streak, but the young team can show some bright spots. Sophomore guard Josh Giddy had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

With Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench, the Lightning can stay within striking distance of Sacramento on Sunday. The team's consistent effort impressed King coach Mike Brown.

"It doesn't matter if it's 15, 20, 20 under, they play the same," Brown said. "They've got physicality on both ends of the floor, and if you don't fit, you're out of the gym."

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