The Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings engaged in a heavyweight slugfest on Thursday night, dueling face to face for 48 minutes in a game in which neither managed to maintain a double-digit lead. Portland maintained its usual advantage in the three-point arc, but delivered the benefits by allowing Sacramento to score like hotcakes on the track and in the race. But the Blazers had an asset that Sacramento did not. Damian Lillard pointed to victory while the clock decreased on Wednesday. The Kings could do nothing to stop him. At the end of a long and somewhat confusing night, the Blazers won the victory 123-119.
De’Aaron Fox do Sacramento scored 32 in the fight, Lillard hit 44 with the Blazers.
First quarter
For the second night in a row, the Blazers started with less than excellent defensive effectiveness. Kings are not the Golden State Warriors. They were unable to stretch a double-digit advantage, mainly because they also cannot defend. But Sacramento took full advantage of the medium-range jumpers and paint spots to double Portland by 10-5. The Blazers continued to hit the shots, at least intermittently, but they allowed Sacramento easy points in the transition and simply failed to put out the fire. As the period progressed, Enes Kanter became a center of attack, helping the Blazers to push the Kings’ shorter line in the half-court. Lillard and De’Aaron Fox fought an ongoing battle during the period; Dame started the afterburner, ending the quarter with 15, Fox with 10. When the dust settled, Portland led 30-27. Yes, it was too much.
Second bedroom
Portland’s second unit exploded out of the gate in the second period. Nassir Little opened with a big drive, followed by three from Anfernee Simons and, later, Carmelo Anthony. The bank has become a powerful offensive force. The defense failed to keep pace, but Sacramento was never able to make a long run. The teams came and went until the starters came back. Then they came and went a little more. The Kings attempted the double-team Lillard defense, but lacked the auxiliary defenders to make it count. Dame’s teammates scored easily. But every time Portland had an advantage, they gave it back. The Blazers led only 59-56 at the break.
Third quarter
The Blazers did exactly what they wanted at the start of the second half. They hit 3 three and an equal number of layups, with assists halfway through their shots. The offense looked like a polished wheel sliding across a mountain of ice. Once again, the separation eluded them, as they allowed Sacramento to score in the transition and accumulate ink dots. The analytical advantage wears off when you let your opponent easily score. When the Kings started hitting three too, Portland’s small advantage evaporated. Portland just let the opponent stay close. Sacramento led 90-89 after three.
Fourth trimester
Both teams played basketball without position to start the fourth … if by “without position” we mean “without center” and, in large part, “without goals”. The first four minutes of the period resembled a seventh-grade scrum, where groups of people followed the ball at random, with many bricks decorating the edges.
After this mess, Fox came with buckets for the Kings, who increased their lead to 5 comparatively large points. Anthony and Rodney Hood once again tried the bank, but Portland still hasn’t managed to keep the Kings off the ding-dang track. Sacramento looked good.
But hey, Damian Lillard does NOT go quietly into the night. With the result in doubt, he hit a three, pierced a perfect pass to Enes Kanter on the edge and converted a tray virtually in succession. AND THEN he hit another three with 1:56 remaining to give his team a 4 point advantage. AND THEN HE DRAINED ANOTHER. He would score 10 in the final stretch. Kanter also made a monstrous defense effort towards the end of the game. Combo 1-2 was too much for the Kings to take. The Kings made it interesting with a few late hits and had a chance to tie the bell, but the Blazers failed instead of letting them hit a three. The Kings closed the final free-throw move. Portland laughed last in the pitched battle and went out with W.
Points box
Blazers have a week-long break before resuming the season after the All-Star Break. Stay tuned for Steve Dewald’s analysis of this game in the extended recap and join us over the weekend for coverage of the NBA All-Star Game, talks on negotiation deadlines and more!