"We scout and we know they liked to drive," Ibaka explained in broken English. "That's why I tried to be there every time."
James Harden added 17 points off the bench, but it wasn't enough overcome the rejuvenated Kings, who are on a roll under Smart, winning four of their last five.
"We know what's expected out of our group, night in and night out," Harden said. "We just didn't do it tonight. Too many turnovers – first half, second half, at crucial times in the game. Too many charges, things like that, things we can control."
After trailing by nine on two occasions early in the game, the Thunder quickly stabilized and wound up trading punches the rest of the night.
OKC built a 77-70 lead with 1:24 left in the third quarter, but allowed the Kings to go on a 10-1 run to lead 80-78 early in the fourth quarter.
Six straight empty possessions after Cook's 3-pointer gave the Thunder an eight-point advantage allowed Sacramento to creep back to within 95-94 with 2:42 left.
The Kings outscored the Thunder 30-23 in the final period, including a 10-2 margin at the free-throw line. Sacramento also outrebounded the Thunder 13-7 in the final period, which included five offensive rebounds. On the night, the Kings had 17 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points.
"This can't continue to happen," Brooks said, shaking his head again.
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