There are only so many ways to slice a 30-point loss. The Kings failed to compete against the Thunder from the opening tip, really -- Russell Westbrook's opening salvo, a blow-by dunk on Luther Head in which neither Sacramento big rotated to help, set the tone, and Sacramento did nothing sustainable to reverse it. Look at the PopcornMachine gameflow. You see any fight in there?
The Kings were outscored by at least five points in every quarter, and never broke 26 in a period. The Thunder didn't score fewer than 26 in any quarter. DeMarcus Cousins ended up with a solid line -- 21 points on 7-14 shooting, 13 rebounds -- but his defense was as bad as that of any King. But at least he brought it on offense and hit the glass.
Beno Udrih shot 4-12 and was singed by Thabo Sefolosha, James Harden, Eric Maynor and Westbrook. Omri Casspi shot 4-12 (he hit three of his first four shots but lulled through the rest of the game); his man, the scoring champ Kevin Durant, had 13 in the first half. Carl Landry took two shots all game.
Head will be the fall guy -- I would be surprised if they didn't waive him after the deadline, actually -- but the entire team deserves this loss. Aykis' point about the Kings' defense in games Tyreke Evans misses is well-took; for what it's worth, the Kings are a better defensive team when Evans is on the court.
The Kings play Wednesday night in Dallas. If they play like they did in OKC, the Kings could lose by 50.