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Thunder 94, Kings 81
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY — Forward Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 94-81 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Durant extended his streak to 37 straight games with at least 25 points. He is now three games from tying Michael Jordan’s record of 40.
In the past, Oklahoma City allowed teams to get back into games after it opened big leads. But against the Kings (25-47), the Thunder (53-19) brought out the big bats and never stopped swinging.
Leading 54-38 to start the second half, Oklahoma City went 12-for-16 from the field in the third quarter. That included guard Russell Westbrook snagging an alley-oop pass from Durant and throwing down a ferocious dunk.
But even more impressive was the Thunder holding the Kings to five field goals in 12 minutes.
The Kings never recovered. Oklahoma City rested its starters the entire fourth quarter.
Westbrook scored 18 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. Guard Jeremy Lamb came off the bench to score 11 points. Forward Serge Ibaka racked up eight points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
Guard Ben McLemore paced the Kings with 18 points and forward Travis Outlaw came off the bench to score 17. Guard Ray McCallum chipped in with 13 points and five assists in his first start.
NOTES: Oklahoma City signed forward Reggie Williams to a 10-day contract. Earlier this season, Williams appeared in one game for the Thunder and scored five points in five minutes after being signed to a 10-day contract on March 6. … G Isaiah Thomas did not play for the Kings because of a strained right quad. Rookie G Ray McCallum Jr. started in his place. It was a homecoming of sorts of McCallum, whose father, Ray Sr., was an assistant coach at Oklahoma under Kelvin Sampson from 2004 to 2006. “Regardless of the outcome, this will be a great opportunity for McCallum,” Kings coach Michael Malone said. “These last 11 games for us … are great opportunities to learn, to play, to grow.” … The Sacramento Kings signed F Willie Reed for the remainder of the season. Reed will report immediately to the Reno Bighorns, the team’s D-League affiliate. … G Derek Fisher is leading by example for Oklahoma City. “When I look at Fish, I see what work he puts in every day,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever been around. This is not his hobby. This is his life.”
