Hartenstein's Career-High Performance Leads Thunder to Victory Over Kings
Isaiah Hartenstein scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 132-101 win against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
The 7-foot center was highly efficient, making 14 of 17 shots, while also contributing three assists and three blocks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 30 points, helping the Thunder (9-1) recover quickly from their only loss of the season, which occurred two nights earlier in Portland.
Supporting players Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe chipped in 15 and 13 points respectively. This victory marked the Thunder's first win in the NBA Cup tournament.
Dominance in the Paint and Player Absences
Oklahoma City led by as much as 23 points and dominated the paint with a 60-34 scoring advantage, aided by the absence of Sacramento’s key big man Domantas Sabonis, who missed his second straight game with sore ribs.
“Sabonis sat out his second consecutive game with sore ribs,”
Former Teammate Westbrook Shines Against Thunder
Sacramento’s Russell Westbrook, the Thunder’s all-time leading scorer who played his first nine NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, scored 24 points and provided nine assists in the matchup against his former team.
Recent Matchups and Player Availability
The Thunder secured their second win over the Kings in 11 days, having defeated them 107-101 in Oklahoma City earlier in October. In that previous game, Sacramento had a healthy Sabonis, while the Thunder were without Chet Holmgren.
This time the situation reversed, with Sabonis watching from the bench in street clothes and Holmgren contributing 10 points and seven rebounds for the Thunder.
“Sabonis watched from the bench in street clothes while Holmgren had 10 points and seven rebounds.”
Author's summary: Isaiah Hartenstein's standout performance powered the Thunder to a decisive win over the Kings, exploiting key absences and strong team contributions.