Isaiah Hartenstein dominates down low for Thunder in NBA Cup win at Kings
Isaiah Hartenstein racked up a career-high 33 points in 31 minutes on 14-for-17 shooting from the field to go along with 19 rebounds in the Thunder’s win at the Kings.
SACRAMENTO, CA — It became increasingly clear that the Kings weren’t going to light the beam Friday night.
A win to start NBA Cup group play likely wasn’t in the cards either. And that could be sensed by the crowd at Golden 1 Center, which died down considerably during the fourth quarter of Sacramento’s 132-101 loss to OKC.
But for a brief moment, Kings fans had something to be hopeful for. It happened with 8:31 left in the game, when Isaiah Hartenstein missed his first of two free throws.
That triggered Mountain Mike’s Pizza’s “Miss twice, get a slice” promotion, which offered to give everyone in the stadium a free mini one-topping pizza if a player from the opposing team missed two straight free throws. And even though that deal could only be claimed with the purchase of a 20-ounce bottled beverage, it was good enough to bring the crowd to its feet in a desperate attempt to make Hartenstein miss again.
But the big man sank his second shot. And with that, the crowd sank even further into silence than before.
“Come on, bro,” the final cry of one fan could be heard.
It wasn’t the Kings’ night.
It instead belonged to Hartenstein, who scored a career-high 33 points on 14-for-17 shooting from the field (82.4%). He also racked up 19 rebounds, which was one board shy of tying a career high, and three blocks in 31 minutes.
“He was on one today,” said Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, who was visibly impressed when he read Hartenstein’s numbers on a stat sheet during his postgame availability. “Hart is a great player. We were able to find him, and he had a great game. He made it very easy for us.”
Hartenstein has helped make life easier to start a difficult season. The Thunder (9-1) has been decimated by injuries to key contributors Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.
Hartenstein is one of only four guys who has suited up for all 10 of OKC’s games. And, ironically, one of the team’s largest players does all of the little things.
From battling on the boards for extra possessions to making the right passes to setting bone-shattering screens, Hartenstein’s impact doesn’t always jump off of the stat sheet. But it doesn’t need to. His teammates can still see it clear as day.
“He gets me open almost every time he screens, and then the defense has to overreact,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He makes the game easier for so many guys around him. And the game pays him back, for sure.”
Hartenstein probably cashed in a few advances from “the game” on Friday. The 7-foot center dwarfed his previous career high of 24 points, which he set during OKC’s 121-105 road win over Milwaukee on March 16.
And while Hartenstein seemingly had “a hundred dunks” against Sacramento in Gilgeous-Alexander’s estimation, it was actually seven. His other seven makes came via skillful finishes around the rim, ranging from high-arcing hook shots to his patented push shots.
Everything was working for Hartenstein, who’s looking increasingly comfortable in OKC’s system after signing with the team two offseasons ago. He’s now averaging career highs of 12.9 points and 11.7 rebounds on 67.9% shooting from the field, which is also a career best.
“He’s played great as time has gone on here,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s getting better and better with his teammates here inside the system. He was obviously highly impactful at the beginning, but he’s only gotten better, especially on the offensive side of the floor.
“He’s just finding his way inside of our system and with his teammates, and I thought tonight was a reflection of that.”
Hartenstein, in typical fashion for a rim protector, deflected any praise that came his way during his postgame availability.
And, in typical fashion for a pass-first player like himself, he distributed credit to his teammates for finding him throughout the night. Of Hartenstein’s 14 made field goals, 11 of them came via an assist.
“I mean, it was a great game,” Hartenstein said of his performance. “But again, I think it goes more to my teammates just finding me, getting me easy looks and then me just finishing throughout the game.”
That unselfishness has been the key to OKC’s success to start the season. The uncertainty of injuries has been outweighed by the Thunder’s confidence in each other, leading to a net-positive result.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren are go-to scoring options. But OKC might turn to Mitchell for a boost during one game and Wiggins during another. The same goes for Joe or Wallace.
The pie chart of production is constantly changing portions. Hartenstein just happened to have a bigger slice than usual on Friday.
“I think we have a great group of guys who play together,” Hartenstein said. “You see each night, someone else steps up. And I think that’s because we trust one another. … That’s what makes us special. Any given night, someone can step up. Tonight was just my night.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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