{'byline': '', 'hosts': '', 'byline_sources': '', 'hide_author': True, 'audience_id': '', 'original_station': [{'station': 'espn1320', 'path': 'espn1320/sports/sacramento-kings/kings-vs-thunder-preview-by-the-number-2-28'}], 'syndicated_items': '', 'original_item': {'_index': 'published-content_v44', '_type': '_doc', '_score': None, '_source': {'date': '2023-02-28T17:07:32.845Z', 'lead': [{'data': {'_version': 2, 'autoPlay': False, 'contentId': 'oDCod0Ky1Ns', 'videoType': 'Editorial', 'isPlaylist': False, 'origSource': 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDCod0Ky1Ns', 'videoValid': True, 'videoSource': 'video', 'playerCaption': None, 'videoLocation': 'article', 'videoPlaylist': '', 'playerHeadline': None, 'playerBorderTop': False, 'autoPlayNextVideo': True, 'componentVariation': 'youtube', 'playerBorderBottom': False, 'playerBorderTopCTA': 'Watch', 'previousTypeRelated': False}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/youtube/instances/cleohsnpb000r3b7ci20gczu0@published'}], 'slug': 'kings-vs-thunder-preview-by-the-number-2-28', 'tags': ['NBA', 'Sacramento Kings'], 'feeds': {'msn': True, 'rss': True, 'postup': True, 'facebook': True, 'newsfeed': True, 'sitemaps': True, 'frequency': True, 'smartNews': True, 'apple-news': False, 'smart-news': True, 'most-popular': True, 'reversechron': True, 'google-news-feed': True}, 'hosts': [], 'adTags': {'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/ad-tags/instances/cleohs7gx000a01s9ngqdthv4@published'}, 'byline': [{'names': [], 'sources': [], 'hosts': [], 'prefix': 'by'}], 'teaser': 'Kings vs. Thunder Preview – By the Numbers', 'authors': [], 'content': [{'data': {'text': 'The Kings are back in action for their 4th game in 6 nights as they finish off their 2-game mini-series against the Thunder. After a nice 124-115 win on Sunday, Sacramento will try to replicate the results and climb to 11 games over .500.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cleohs7gx000e01s9sodv2p51@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'It feels hard to write about the Kings and not start with De’Aaron Fox. He is just on an absolute heater right now and on a scoring tear that we haven’t seen the likes of before in Sacramento. In the 9 games in February, he’s averaged 32.0 Points, 7.3 Assists, 4.0 Rebounds, and 2.0 Steals per game while shooting 56.7% from the field. He’s about as unstoppable as it gets when he gets going downhill with how lethal he is from everywhere inside the arc.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cleoht7jp001c3b7c8ssbx3tm@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'In February, Fox has shot 33-of-38 (86.8%) in the Restricted Area, 40-of-74 (54.1%) in the Non-RA Paint Area, and 15-of-27 (55.6%) from Mid-Range. Watching him and Sabonis dance around each other is a beautiful thing to see, and a big reason why Sabonis is leading the league with 8.0 Screen Assists per game. He sets massive screens that Fox navigates around with ease to be able to get to his spots.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cleoht7mt001d3b7cy6s0e79k@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'What is almost more impressive is that as Fox’s scoring has gone up, his passing has also been on the rise. His 7.3 Assists this month are the most he’s averaged in any month this year. The fact that he is not only making dropping 30 a regular thing but adding in the dimes is what propels this offense forward. Fox never seems to force shots, with it actually seeming to be the opposite; he makes everything look easy. When a look isn’t there, he passes out and finds the open man instead of putting up an overly contested look.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cleoht7pg001e3b7c54tuuhxc@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Someone who has benefited greatly from Fox’s uptick in passing has been Malik Monk. In February, Monk has shot 66.7% on his 3-Point Attempts that have come from passes from Fox. The two have a serious on court connection that is electric to watch. Other beneficiaries of Fox’s driving abilities are also Trey Lyles and Kevin Huerter, who have shot 57.1% and 50.0% on 3’s from Fox passes. Throw in Fox’s 18 Steals in the month of February and it really seems like a shoe-in for him to win Player of the Month. Let’s hope he gives us one more great February performance tonight.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cleoht7sy001f3b7c76svhprc@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'For the Thunder, we know what to expect at this point. They are a young scrappy team who is going to work hard on defense to get in the passing lanes and get out in transition. And when they get going on offense, they can keep up with anyone. Isaiah Joe is about as lethal of a shooter there is these days, as Kings fans saw once again in the 2nd half of Sunday’s game when he went 4-of-6 (66.7%) from beyond the arc. 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Sacramento Kings

Kings vs. Thunder Preview – By the Numbers

By espn1320 Feb 28, 2023

The Kings are back in action for their 4th game in 6 nights as they finish off their 2-game mini-series against the Thunder. After a nice 124-115 win on Sunday, Sacramento will try to replicate the results and climb to 11 games over .500.

It feels hard to write about the Kings and not start with De’Aaron Fox. He is just on an absolute heater right now and on a scoring tear that we haven’t seen the likes of before in Sacramento. In the 9 games in February, he’s averaged 32.0 Points, 7.3 Assists, 4.0 Rebounds, and 2.0 Steals per game while shooting 56.7% from the field. He’s about as unstoppable as it gets when he gets going downhill with how lethal he is from everywhere inside the arc.

In February, Fox has shot 33-of-38 (86.8%) in the Restricted Area, 40-of-74 (54.1%) in the Non-RA Paint Area, and 15-of-27 (55.6%) from Mid-Range. Watching him and Sabonis dance around each other is a beautiful thing to see, and a big reason why Sabonis is leading the league with 8.0 Screen Assists per game. He sets massive screens that Fox navigates around with ease to be able to get to his spots.

What is almost more impressive is that as Fox’s scoring has gone up, his passing has also been on the rise. His 7.3 Assists this month are the most he’s averaged in any month this year. The fact that he is not only making dropping 30 a regular thing but adding in the dimes is what propels this offense forward. Fox never seems to force shots, with it actually seeming to be the opposite; he makes everything look easy. When a look isn’t there, he passes out and finds the open man instead of putting up an overly contested look.

Someone who has benefited greatly from Fox’s uptick in passing has been Malik Monk. In February, Monk has shot 66.7% on his 3-Point Attempts that have come from passes from Fox. The two have a serious on court connection that is electric to watch. Other beneficiaries of Fox’s driving abilities are also Trey Lyles and Kevin Huerter, who have shot 57.1% and 50.0% on 3’s from Fox passes. Throw in Fox’s 18 Steals in the month of February and it really seems like a shoe-in for him to win Player of the Month. Let’s hope he gives us one more great February performance tonight.

For the Thunder, we know what to expect at this point. They are a young scrappy team who is going to work hard on defense to get in the passing lanes and get out in transition. And when they get going on offense, they can keep up with anyone. Isaiah Joe is about as lethal of a shooter there is these days, as Kings fans saw once again in the 2nd half of Sunday’s game when he went 4-of-6 (66.7%) from beyond the arc. What was evident on Sunday was that the Kings offense was just better.

Part of that is the ability of Sabonis, who matches up extremely well against the Thunder. In the two games against OKC, Domas has averaged 16.0 Points, 14.5 Rebounds, and 11.0 Assists on64.7% shooting from the field. With the aggressive style of defense that the Thunder play, he is able to hit cutters and beat them not only with his inside scoring but also with his passing skill. I said it in the last preview article for the thunder and I’ll say it again for tonight. We are already on Sabonis triple-double watch.

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