On April 10, Beijing time, the Kings challenged the Thunder on the road, and this game was very crucial. The Kings are battling the Los Angeles Lakers for 8th place in the West, with only 0.5 wins separating the two teams, and whoever finishes in 9th place will be in huge trouble if they face the Golden State Warriors in the play-offs. The Thunder team is firmly in third place in the West, but there is still a chance to compete for the first place in the West, although the record is very good, but the Thunder still did not rotate the core players, and even Alexander returned to the fire line, it looks like the Thunder are going to hit the top spot. Kings starting lineup: Fox + Ellis + Barnes + Murray + Sabonis, Thunder starting lineup: Alexander + Keady + Dort + Jalen Williams + Holmgren.
In the first quarter, the Kings' offense was very smooth, with a 31-28 lead in a single quarter, and the margin was not very large. In the second quarter, the Thunder suddenly collapsed, stagnating on the offensive end, scoring only 17 points in the quarter, while the Kings scored 33 points, and after halftime, the Thunder had trailed by 19 points. Although Alexander is back, he may not have found his best form, and the Kings are completely fighting, and if they lose, they will probably miss out on the top 8 in the West.
In the third quarter, the Thunder team, under the leadership of Alexander, was full of firepower, frantically chasing points, and after playing 39-23 in a single quarter, the difference was only 3 points, and the game was in suspense. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder continued to put pressure on the Kings and gradually overtook the score, and the game ended with 18 seconds left, and the Thunder still led by 5 points, and there was no suspense in the game. In the end, the Thunder defeated the Kings 112-105 and won two in a row.
The Thunder's Alexander chipped in 40 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and he played well in the second half. Holmgren had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, Dort had 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, Jalen Williams had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Keady had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. For the Kings, Fox had 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Ellis had 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Murray had 15 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, and Barnes had 10 points and six rebounds.
The Thunder completed a 19-point comeback, and after defeating the strong rival Kings, they also ushered in two consecutive victories and continued to attack the first place in the West. The Lakers received a big gift, the Lakers and the Kings are competing for the 8th position in the West, and have entered the white-hot stage, before this game, the Kings only led the Lakers by 0.5 wins, and the Lakers temporarily erased the gap because the Thunder defeated the Kings. Lakers coach Darvin Ham's decision is too right, due to the injury of Brother Thick Eyebrows, he did not play with an injury, the coaching staff decided to let Thick Eyebrows rest, because the Kings lost, the Lakers have a chance to breathe, even if they lose to the Warriors today, as long as the Lakers win in the next few games, they still have a good chance to regain the 8th place in the West, and Brother Thick Eyebrows will also be ready for the next game. As it stands, the Lakers have a better chance of finishing 8th in the West, so they can avoid the Warriors in the play-offs.