De’Aaron Fox leads Sacramento Kings past Thunder, hands OKC third straight loss

Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox pickpocketed Thunder guard Josh Giddey, and Fox paid off the steal with a show-stopping windmill dunk.

Fox raised the roof.

It was an old-school celebration, but these are not the Kings of old.

The Kings handled business Sunday in Oklahoma City, beating the Thunder 124-115 in a wire-to-wire result.

More:Why OKC Thunder waived Eugene Omoruyi shortly after signing him

The Thunder (28-32)  is on a three-game losing streak — its longest skid since losing five in a row in mid-December. OKC’s last two losses have come without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain and right ankle soreness). It’s the first time SGA has missed consecutive games this season.

The Kings, meanwhile, are on a three-game winning streak and are in third place in the West. Coach Mike Brown along with Fox and All-Star center Domantas Sabonis have sparked the “light the beam” Kings.

Sacramento (35-25) hasn’t made the playoffs since 2005-06. It’s the longest postseason drought in major professional sports.

That drought is about to end. These aren’t the same old Kings.

More:What does JJ Redick think of Isaiah Joe? Ex-NBA sniper 'so impressed' with Thunder guard

Mark Daigneault not happy with defense 

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called two timeouts in the first eight minutes of the game. Safe to say he was displeased with his team’s defense.

The Thunder was outscored 36-26 in the first quarter. The Kings shot 56% from the floor, including 6-of-12 from behind the arc.

“They’re a great offensive team, obviously,” Daigneault said. “There’s got to be a little more resistance defensively to beat them.”

OKC responded by limiting the Kings to just 22 points in the second quarter.

Sacramento got hot again in the second half, seemingly capitalizing off every Thunder miscue.

Thunder forward Kenrich Williams missed an easy wide-open layup with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter. Instead of OKC cutting Sacramento’s lead to five points, Williams’ miss led to a Trey Lyles 3-pointer which put the Kings up 10 — a five-point swing in a six-second span.

Fox had 33 points and eight assists for the Kings. Sabonis had 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Kings rookie Keegan Murray scored 20 points and was 4-of-9 from three.

More:Lauri Markkanen gives 'wow' factor as Jazz rally past Thunder for overtime win

Isaiah Joe, Lindy Waters III trade 3-pointers

It’s not helpful if you’re trading 3-pointers with an opponent.

But trading 3-pointers with a teammate? That’s good offense.

And that’s what Thunder guards Isaiah Joe and Lindy Waters did in the third quarter.

Joe and Waters combined to score 17 consecutive Thunder points in the third quarter off two free throws and five 3-pointers — three from Joe and two from Waters.

Waters, who played for the G League Blue earlier in the day, had a season-high 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

Joe was zeroed in (when is he not?), scoring a team-high 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 8-of-11 from the free throw line — a career high in both makes and attempts. Before Sunday, Joe had never attempted more than six free throws in a game.

Oh, and he took two charges.

“Go back to Philly, Isaiah,” a Kings fan shouted.

Sixers fans certainly wouldn’t mind.

Joe has scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games.

“As I’ve said 100 times, he’s a complete player,” Daigneault said. “You can’t just be one dimensional and play in the NBA, especially at his size. He’s a feisty competitor, he knows the schemes … that’s what allows you to keep him on the court.”

More:Will the Thunder make NBA Playoffs? Here's a look at OKC's post All-Star break schedule

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander injury update

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed his second straight game due to an abdominal strain and right ankle soreness. Gilgeous-Alexander remains day-to-day, and all signs point to him returning soon.

SGA warmed up Sunday in his usual pregame time slot, and perhaps the most encouraging sign of SGA’s impending return is how the Thunder handled Aaron Wiggins’ very brief G League assignment.

The Thunder assigned Wiggins to the Blue on Saturday afternoon with plans for Wiggins to play in the Blue’s game Sunday morning.

But a little after 10 a.m. Sunday — an hour before the Blue game — the Thunder recalled Wiggins.

What was that about?

“Us looking at tonight and what we had and realizing that we want him available tonight without any G League minutes in the day,” Daigneault said in his pregame availability.

It’s safe to assume that Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t officially ruled out until Sunday morning, which prompted the Thunder to recall Wiggins to have another healthy player against the Kings.

The Thunder plays the Kings again on Tuesday, and there’s a decent chance SGA will suit up.

More:Why OKC Thunder waived Eugene Omoruyi shortly after signing him

Thunder tip-ins

∎ Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski has missed the last two months with a left leg fracture. Poku has progressed to on-court activities, but “there’s really no specific update and no date of return,” Daigneault said. “He’s on his return-to-play and is progressing well.”

∎ OKC missed too many easy ones. Jalen Williams missed a dunk and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl botched an easy layup in the first quarter.

∎ Robinson-Earl looks like he’s still searching for his feel. In his five games since returning from a severe ankle sprain, JRE is shooting 6-of-22 (27%) from the field.

∎ Josh Giddey was efficient with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He had seven rebounds, five assists and four turnovers.

∎ Lu Dort shot 4-of-9 from 3-point range. It was his first game with at least four 3-pointers since Jan. 15.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: De’Aaron Fox leads Sacramento Kings past OKC Thunder