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Thunder could get help when they face Kings

Jan 7, 2015 - 3:02 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder could unveil their new weapon when they visit the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night.

The Thunder acquired guard Dion Waiters from the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday in exchange for a first-round pick. They also dealt Lance Thomas to the New York Knicks, who shipped out both J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in the deal.

Waiters is averaging 10.5 points and apparently clashed with Cavs first-year head coach David Blatt.

Oklahoma City could use another scoring threat alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and had won two straight and four of five games until Monday's 117-91 blowout loss at Golden State. The Warriors scored 30 or more points in three of the four quarters and made 15-of-28 3-pointers.

Westbrook scored 22 points, Durant added 14 and 10 rebounds, and Anthony Morrow posted 17 and 10 boards off the bench for Oklahoma City, which made a paltry 30.6 percent for the game and sank just 5-of-28 from downtown.

"We didn't have the start we wanted to defensively," OKC coach Scott Brooks said. "We gave up too many threes."

The Thunder will try again to reach the .500 mark (17-18) and are winless in the last two on the road. They will return home to host Utah on Friday.

Sacramento will play the first of six in a row at home and is also slated to host the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers.

The Kings went 1-3 on their recent road trip, which concluded with Sunday's 114-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Brandon Jennings dropped a season-high 35 points on the Kings, who were led by 18 points and 15 rebounds from DeMarcus Cousins. Darren Collison added 17 points in defeat.

"It's clear, we aren't the same team," Cousins said when asked about Mike Malone's dismissal as coach. "We can't just keep making excuses for the team. At the end of the day, we're the ones out there playing, regardless of the man on the bench."

Cousins has 18 double-doubles this season and 14 in his last 16 games.

Sacramento has lost the first two meetings against Oklahoma City this season and is winless in the past 12 games in this series. The Thunder are 18-1 in the previous 19 matchups with the Kings and have won five straight in California's capital.