by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–After the horrific loss suffered by the Kings in Atlanta on Wednesday night, Dave Joerger knew he had to do something to stop the bleeding (losing) immediately or it could become a way of life for his young team. On Friday night, Joerger shook things up and it worked as the Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 86-82.

The loss not only shocked the Blazers but it stopped their two their two-game winning streak. Plus, Portland has to face this same Kings team on Saturday night at home. Which Kings team should they prepare for? Not necessarily the same Kings team they saw on Friday night. Sacramento is in experimental mode, so what happens one night may not be an indicator of what is going to happen in the next game.

Critics have been pointing their fingers at Sacramento saying they cannot win games in the NBA if they scoring in the eighties every game. They scored just 86 on Friday night but they played tenacious defense holding Portland to just 82 points. The infamous Rip City Ballers shot just 37-percent (30-for-81) overall and just 28-percent (7-for-25) from behind the 3-point line. Hard nosed defense was the key to the Kings victory.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger called it an emotional, bounce back win

De’Aaron Fox said defense was a point of emphasis going into the game

Willie Cauley-Stein said he had been waiting for the coaching staff to put Koufos and him together on the floor

The odds are against Sacramento on Saturday night

Road teams in the second games of back-to-back sets lose more often than they win. However, this road game has some advantages. It is only a 90-minute flight away. Portland is in the same time zone, and the Kings are coming off an emotional win that they might be able to ride for another 24 hours.

The game in Portland tips-off at 7 p.m.

The Trail Blazers will be back in Sacramento on February 29, 2018.