The Oklahoma City Thunder had their six game winning streak at Sacramento snapped in front of a black-out, sold out crowd at Power Balance Pavilion. Tyreke Evans led the Kings with 23 points, but two three-pointers from Marcus Thornton late in the fourth quarter sealed the Sacramento comeback.
Kevin Durant (27 points) and Russel Westbrook (33 points) looked nothing less than All-Star level, but the Thunder committed a whopping 23 turnovers in the game, including several late in the game (five in the last six minutes), and once Thornton hit a trey to tie the game at 97, the Kings took the momentum down the stretch.
The loss won't do much to deter Oklahoma City's hopes of a NBA Finals appearance, but Welcome To Loud City hailed the night for both the Kings and their fans, who as that franchise fights irrelevancy and a possible move:
....consider this game from the Kings' perspective. Last night was not just a run-of-the-mill game for them. The Kings are once again fighting for their survival in Sacramento, and both the players and fans came out in full force and solidarity. Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson was on hand. The team honored Chris Webber, with a jersey to hang in the rafters. For the Kings players, this game meant something to them, and it was more than just an opportunity to compete against the team with the best record in the league. In the end, I was sad to see OKC lose, but it was still heartening to witness the kind of unity and passion that we saw in Sacramento last night.
For a complete look at the night's NBA action and a breakdown of this game, go to SB Nation's NBA page. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome to Loud City. To catch up on the Kings, head over to Sactown Royalty.