Stockton Kings Drop Second Straight Game to Oklahoma City Blue

The Stockton Kings, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings (9-4), fell to the Oklahoma City Blue (6-9), 103-111 on Saturday evening at Adventist Health Arena (formerly StocktonArena). 

The Stockton Kings trailed for the entirety of the first frame, as Oklahoma City Blue forward Ousmane Dieng led the quarter with nine points and center Noah Starkey added seven points. The Kings seemed to find their stride and were able to claw their way out of the deficit in the second frame and both teams scored back and forth for most of the second quarter. The Stockton Kings outshot the Oklahoma City Blue from the field in the first half 47.8% to 47.6%. The Blue shot 6-for-7 from the free throw line, and Stockton shot 5-for-7. Kings center Skal Labissiere recorded 12 points on the half, while guard Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench to match it. Guard Jordan Ford’s layup with 40 seconds left tied the game 55-55 before the second half. 

The Kings held on to lead 83-76 lead at the end of the third quarter. Shooting issues significantly plagued the Kings in the fourth quarter, recording 29.4% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.  Ultimately, the Kings were not able to close the gap on the Blue’s 18-point lead in the last frame, leaving them to take the victory 111-103.

Labissiere led the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season. Nowell finished with 20 and Burton ended the night with 18 points in his first start of the regular season.

The Stockton Kings will hit the road to face off in a two-game series against the Austin Spurs at Sames Auto Arena on Friday, February 2 at 5:00 PM PST.