Kings vs. Thunder
During the period when Alexander was sidelined due to injury, the Thunder also fell into the haze of three consecutive defeats, thus losing the first place in the West. However, with a very high win rate, they still locked up a playoff spot in the West in advance. Perhaps in the eyes of the outside world, the current Thunder team is still very young and does not have a chance to compete for the championship trophy, but judging from Alexander's growth rate, they will also become the top team in the West in the near future. And in this game, the Thunder, who returned to play at home, ushered in the challenge of the king.
It is worth affirming that the Kings have not been able to continue the hot form at the beginning of the season at the end of the season, but have been bullied by other teams, so that at this stage, they only have a 45-33 record, ranking eighth in the West, and are still struggling in the play-in zone. The away challenge ushered in Alexander's Thunder, and the Kings failed to bargain, allowing Alexander to lead the team to a final victory with a total score of 112-105.
The specific results
In the first half of the competition, the Kings who played away from home were in good form and continued to widen the difference between the two teams. Fox shot 5-of-8 from the field in the first quarter and delivered 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, while Ellis also had 12 points to help the team go 31-28. In the second quarter, the Thunder team not only failed to chase points, but fell into a scoring drought, with the whole team only contributing 17 points, so that the king, who seized the opportunity, continued to play a 33-17 score, expanding the difference to 19 points.
Yibian fought again, and the Thunder team, which was bullied one after another, finally launched a corresponding counterattack. In the third quarter of the game, Alexander showed his might, shooting 6 of 7, 4 of 5 free throws, contributing 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, Holmgren also had 8 points and 3 rebounds, and Dort, who sent 10 points, narrowed the gap to 3 points with a score of 39-23 in one fell swoop. In the final quarter of the decisive game, the Thunder did not compromise and continued to play a 28-18 score with the help of Alexander's 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, and completed a 26-point comeback with a total score of 112-105
epilogue
Alexander, who has returned, has once again proved his worth as a team leader. He played nearly 38 minutes in this game, delivered 40 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and made a huge contribution to the team's 26-point comeback. At the same time, Williams also contributed 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, as well as Holmgren, who handed over 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, and Dort, who handed over 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. In addition, Joe, who came off the bench, also had 10 points and 4 rebounds.
On the other hand, on the side of the Kings, who suffered a big reversal on the road, their star Fox also did his best. He played nearly 43 minutes in a single game, shooting 7-of-17 from three-point range, shooting 12-of-29 from the field, and delivering 33 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. At the same time, Ellis also had 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. However, starting center Sabonis was dumbfounded, with only 8 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists in the whole game, and failed to play the value of an All-Star center.