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 After an encouraging early-season start, the Sacramento Kings are
starting over again, and victories are as scarce as ever.
So it remained for both teams Tuesday. Westbrook scored 32 points,
and Durant added 26 -- including the 15,000th of his career -- as
the Thunder ruined the debut of Kings interim coach Tyrone Corbin
with a 104-92 victory at Sleep Train Arena.
Oklahoma City won its seventh straight, the longest current winning
streak in the NBA after the Golden State Warriors' 16-game winning
streak ended in a 105-98 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies earlier
in the night. It was also the Thunder's ninth win in 10 games since
a 3-12 start.
"We're just trying to get better every single day," Durant said
after becoming the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach
the 15,000-point milestone. "That's how we always approach it."
Durant, 26, cracked the 15,000-point milestone in his 550th career
game. Only Michael Jordan (460 games), LeBron James (540) and
Shaquille O'Neal (547) did so in fewer contests. Only James was
younger.
 "It's nice. I don't want to overlook the accomplishment," Durant
said. "It makes me think back at all the players and coaches and
teammates who helped me get to this point."
Durant missed Oklahoma City's first 17 games with a broken right
foot, and Westbook sat out the first 14 with a broken finger. They
were at their best late against the Kings, combining for 14
consecutive points during a 19-8 run to close the game.
"Durant and Westbrook are two of the best players in this league,
and they're going to have runs," Corbin said. "I thought that our
guys fought back. We had a chance to win the game."
Forward Rudy Gay finished with 22 points for Sacramento, and forward
Carl Landry added 14 off the bench, but the Kings never led by more
than a point during Corbin's debut. Corbin was appointed the team's
interim coach Monday after the firing of Michael Malone.
"It's tough on both sides," Gay said. "It's tough for the coaches
and for the players. ... It's a new system, and it's gonna take
time. We've had one practice and a shootaround."
Sacramento lost for the ninth time in 11 games and fell to 2-8 in 10
games without starting center DeMarcus Cousins (viral meningitis).
Cousins possibly could return Thursday when the Kings host the
Milwaukee Bucks.
The Kings didn't start out auspiciously under Corbin. Oklahoma City
scored the game's first nine points and did not trail until forward
Carl Landry's basket inched the Kings in front 84-83 with 8:05 left
in the final quarter.
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Two possessions later, with the Kings on top 86-85, Thunder guard
Reggie Jackson converted a three-point play on a driving layup for
an 88-86 Oklahoma City lead. The Thunder never trailed again.
Oklahoma City guard Anthony Morrow added 10 points, and Thunder
coach Scott Brooks credited forward Serge Ibaka for shutting down
the Kings' attempts to pick-and-roll, as well as guard Andre
Robertson for his work containing Sacramento point guard Darren
Collision off the dribble.
Collison finished with six points, three assists and three
turnovers. He shot 2-for-8 from the field and is 3-for-18 over the
past two contests.
"I don't want to make excuses," Collison said. "At the end of the
day, it's just basketball. You try to make it that way, but we just
weren't on the same page player-wise. We've got to clean some things
up offensively and defensively."
Guard Ramon Sessions finished with 11 points, and guard Ben McLemore
had 10 for the Kings, who promised a more up-tempo style under
Corbin but scored just eight fastbreak points.
NOTES: The Kings retired the No. 16 worn by G Peja Stojakovic, who
played the most games (518) in franchise history, averaging 18.3
points per game during eight seasons with Sacramento. Stojakovic,
who played in Sacramento from 1998-2006, is the Sacramento-era's
all-time second-leading scorer (9,498, trailing only G Mitch
Richmond) and ranks in the Top 10 in steals (fifth)and rebounds
(ninth). ... New Sacramento coach Tyrone Corbin was 112-146 during
four seasons with the Jazz. Corbin, who replaced Jerry Sloan after
the latter's 23 seasons in Utah, guided the Jazz to one playoff
appearance, during the strike/lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. Utah
lost four straight in its first-round playoff elimination against
the San Antonio Spurs that season. ... For all the talk about F
Kevin Durant's return, Oklahoma City was 7-1 in G Russell
Westbrook's first eight games. ... Kings F Omri Casspi missed his
fifth consecutive game due to a right knee bone bruise.
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