The Sacramento Kings opened NBA Cup play with a tough 132–101 loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center. Missing Domantas Sabonis for the second straight game, the Kings were dominated inside, surrendering 60 points in the paint. Russell Westbrook led Sacramento with 24 points, while Drew Eubanks added 16. Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Hartenstein posted a career-high 33 points and 19 rebounds, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 30. Head coach Doug Christie criticized the team’s defensive effort as the Kings fell to 0–1 in Cup play and 3–6 overall.

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