The Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings were engaged in a scoring-heavy slugfest Thursday night, with a 48-minute nose-to-nose duel in the game, with neither of the two-digit lead being held. Portland kept their financial advantage at three-point arc, but they gave the Sacraments the advantage by scoring like hot akes on the street and on the run. But the Blazers had a Trump card that Sacramento did not. As the clock ticked in the fourth, Damien Lillard went zero on the win. The Kings could do nothing to stop him. At the end of a long and somewhat chaotic evening, the Blazers won 123-119.
Sacramento’s D’Aron Fox scored 32 on the field, while Blair faced 44 for Blair.
First trimester
For the second straight night, the Blazers started with less than sterling effectiveness on defense. Kings are not Golden State Warriors. They couldn’t extend the double-digit lead, mostly because they couldn’t defend either. But Sacramento made the most of mid-range jumpers and paint points to double Portland to 10-5. The Blazers kept hitting at least intermittent shots, but they allowed Sacramento easy points in the transition and couldn’t contain the fire. As the period progressed, Ans Count became the center of crime, helping to push Blazer around the small Kings lineup in the halfcourt. Lillard and D’Aron Fox are engaged in an ongoing battle throughout the period; Dame turned on the next burners, finished the quarter with 15, with Fox 10. When the dust settled on all of them, Portland advanced 30-27. Yes, that was a lot.
Second quarter
Portland’s second unit exploded outside the gate in the second period. Nasir Little opened with a great drive, then thrashed by Enfarni Simmons and later, Carmelo Anthony. The bench has become a formidable offensive force. The defense could not keep pace, but Sacramento never managed to connect an extended run. Teams went back and forth until they started moving forward. Then they went some further. The Kings tried a double-team-Lillard defense, but they didn’t have auxiliary defenders to pay for. Dame’s teammates scored easily. But every time Portland benefited, they gave it back. The Blazers led just 59-56 from the half.
Third quarter
The Blazers did exactly what they wanted as the second half began. They hit 3 thrashes and a number of laps with the help of half a shot. The crime looked like a grease wheel sliding down an iceberg. Once again they were separated, as they allowed the Sacramento to score in transition and the ile throat of the paint points. The advantage of analytics is broken when you let the opponent score easily. When the Kings also began to thrash, Portland’s thin lead became steam. Portland just lets the opponent hang. Sacramento led 90-89 after three.
Fourth quarter
To start fourth, both teams played positionless basketball … if by “positionless” we mean “centerless” and mostly “scoreless”. The first four minutes of this period feel like a seventh-class scrum where a pack of people follow the side-effect ball, with plenty of bricks adorning the edges.
After that mess, Fox came up with a bucket for the Kings, which pushed them up 5 points in comparison. Anthony and Rodney Hood once again hung out for the bench, but Portland still couldn’t keep the Kings out of Ding-Dang Lane. Sacramento felt great.
But hey, Damien Lillard doesn’t go quietly at night. With questionable results, he hit three, drilled an ancient pass to the ans counter on the rim, and converted one layout after another. And then he hit three more with 1:56 left to give his team a 4-point lead. And then he drank another water. Total stretch will make 10 down. At the end of the game was the monster attempt of the carter on defense. There was a lot of 1-2kmbo to handle the Kings. The Kings made it interesting with scores that reached a couple late and had a chance to make a tie on the market, but the Blazers swelled instead of allowing three shots. The Kings bored the final free throw play. Portland finally laughed at the otherwise long battle and walked away with W.
Bscx ore r
Blazer gets a one-week break before the season resumes after the Z-L star break. Stay tuned for an analysis of this game by Steve Dewald in the extended Rick app and join us over the weekend for NBA All-Star Game coverage, talk of trade deadlines and more!
