Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

Game Preview: Kings vs the Lakers tonight 11/10/16 in Sacramento

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

slamsonby Charlie O. Mallonee

TRIVIA QUESTION – James Harden leads the NBA in assists (12.3 apg) and ranks fourth in scoring (31.5 ppg). Who is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists in a single season?

Los Angeles Lakers

This is not Kobe’s Lakers team

This is the actually “the team” Mitch Kupchak  has been trying to put together for the past three seasons. No longer are the Lakers centered around an aging “star” who would not accept a reduced role for the betterment of the team.

D’Angelo Russell – the number two-overall draft pick in 2015 – is leading the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game. Third-year forward Julius Randle out of Kentucky is beginning to be an impact player in the starting line up averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He has two double-doubles so far this season. Guard Jordan Clarkson is adding 15.1 points per start for LA. The “youngsters” are starting to make their mark on the team.

New coach – new attitude

Luke Walton is in his first year as head coach of the Lakers. He was the “hottest” coaching prospect on the market during the off-season after the job he did filling in for Steve Kerr at Golden State. Walton is the eighth person to have played for and coach the Lakers. He is also the youngest head coach in the NBA at 36 years old.

Lakers come into the game tonight with 4-4 record

The Lakers have won three of their last four games. They are coming off a 109-97 loss at home to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. It was the first time LA had not scored at least 100 points in their last five games. They also suffered a defensive lapse as Dallas shot 52.4-percent from the field.

The Lakers biggest win of the season came on November 4 when they downed the Golden State Warriors 117-97 on national television.

One of the most improved teams

The Lakers are considered by some to be one the most improved teams in “the association”.

Sacramento Kings

Trying to keep the winning streak alive

After winning big in in Toronto last Sunday to close out the road trip and handling the winless Pelicans at home on Tuesday night, the Kings are anxious to up their winning streak to three in-a-row.

DeMarcus Cousins is still leading the way on offense for the Kings with 25.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He scored 28 against the Pels. Rudy Gay continues to be hot averaging 22.4 points per game. Darren Collison will play in his second game since returning from suspension and should have some significant impact on the second unit against the Lakers.

Defense is the key

The key to the back-to-back victories for the Kings has been holding their opponent to under 100 points. They are still averaging giving up 101.9 points per game which is too high but is coming down from the 102.5 that is was at the beginning of the road trip.

The Lakers have scored 108 points or more in each of their four wins.

Going for the sweep

The Kings swept the Lakers in the four-game series last season for the first time in their history. Sacramento would like to send a message in this game that they have every intention of repeating that feat again this season.

The Kings have won seven games in-a-row against the Lakers and five in-a-row in Sacramento.

Tough back-to-back

The Kings host the Lakers in Sacramento tonight and then have to travel to Portland to play the always tough Trail Blazers on Friday night. They face a reduced chance to win on the road because of the back-to-back scenario in Portland.

For entertainment purposes only

FiveThirtyEight.com using their CARM-elo system gives the Kings a 70-percent chance of winning tonight’s game with the Lakers. They say take the Kings minus 5.5 points.

Some of the other well-known entertainment sites also have the Kings as the favorites at minus 5.5 points with an over/under of 209 to 209.5.

Nationally televised game

Tonight’s game is being televised across the nation by TNT. That means their is no local play-by-play cable coverage on Comcast California.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Nate Archibald of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings led the NBA in scoring (34.0 ppg) and assists (11.4 apg) in 1972-73.

The Warriors play well, blast the Trail Blazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (left) drives past the Portland Trailblazers Al-Farouq Aminu (right) in in the first half in Portland Tuesday night

Portland, Oregon- Tuesday night in Portland, the Golden State Warriors played their best game of the young 2016-17 season by routing the Trail Blazers 127-104. They looked like the Warriors of the past two season. They moved the ball well; they played defense, and they got great play from the bench.  The Dubs bench outscored the Portland bench 54-39.

The Dubs got off to a slow start as they trailed by 7 points 18-11 at the midway point of the first period. Guard Ian Clark came off the bench and sparked the Warriors to a 34-25 lead at the end of one period of play. The Warriors were terrific on defense. The players were knocking passes away, rebounding, forcing turnovers and blocking shots. They looked like the Warriors of old. The Dubs continued to play well in the second period. The Blazers behind Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum also played well and cut the deficit to six at the end of the first half. Warriors lead 59-53. The leading scorer for Golden State was Ian Clark with sixteen. Kevin Durant had eleven, Klay Thompson ten, Steph Curry just five and Draymond Green six. Leading scorers for Portland were Lillard with twenty-two, McCcollum eight and Evan Turner, off the bench, eleven. The Warriors continued to shoot three-point shots poorly. They were four for fifteen from behind the three-point stripe.

The third period belonged to Steph Curry. Curry made five 3-point shots and made two 3-point plays. He outscored the entire Portland team 21-20 in the third period. The Dubs went on a 20-4 run late in the stanza as the defense and Steph overwhelmed Terry Stotts’ team.

The bench played most of the fourth period. The only starter in the lineup was Klay Thompson. Klay had to miss most of the third period with four fouls. Coach Kerr wanted Klay to work on his 3-point shots, but Klay just couldn’t put one in from 3-point range. He is frustrated but he is too good a shooter and he will break out soon.

The defense was great. The bench contributed mightily to the win. Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and David West all made significant contributions to the Dubs win. Steph led the team with 28 points. Durant had 20. Durant has scored at least 20 points in 68 consecutive games and is closing in on Michael Jordan’s record of sixty-nine straight. Lillard had 31 for Portland and McCollum added sixteen. Layman scored seventeen off the bench but most of those points came late in the fourth period well after the game was decided.

After the game, Coach Steve Kerr said this about Steph:”He looked like Riley Curry(Steph’s older daughter) in the first half and like Steph Curry in the second half.” He also sais that he”had never seen anyone like that turn it on that quickly.” Kerr remarked this about the defense “I thought the defense was the best so far” and that “Draymond was phenomenal and set the tone early in the game.” Green finished the night with six points,nine assists, and eight rebounds. The Dubs controlled the boards outrebounding Portland 45-32

The Warrior next game will be against the Oklahoma Thunder Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Kevin Durant will be facing his ex-teammates for the first time since shocking the basketball world and signing as a free agent with the Warriors in the off-season. Russel Westbrook and company will be seeking revenge as the Dubs eliminated them in the playoffs last season. Game time will be at 7:30pm.

Golden State Warriors Friday game wrap: The Warriors big guns play well, beat the Portland Trailblazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Draymond Green knows whose top notch as he celebrates after a score on the Portland Trailblazers in pre season action on Friday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland

Oakland- The Portland Trail Blazer played very well in the early going of the final preseason game before the start of the regular season. The Blazers, behind the play of Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum led 24-9 about halfway through the first period. The Warriors, however, started to play defense and Steph Curry got hot and the Warriors were able to come from behind the defeat the Blazers 107-96.

Curry scored fourteen in the first period and twenty-eight in the half. The Warriors led by just a single point 57-56 at the end of the first twenty-four minutes of play. The Dubs, behind Kevin Durant, outscored Portland 33-16 in the third period.  Durant was on fire. He scored fourteen points in the period and tallied twenty-eight for the game. He also had seven rebounds. The Blazers made a run in the fourth period, but it was their bench against the Warriors bench.  They scored twenty-four and held the Dubs to seventeen. Ian Clark, coming off the bench, scored seventeen points in just seventeen minutes of play.

Steph Curry scored thirty-five and Klay Thompson was held to nine. Draymond Green had eleven rebounds. The Dubs outrebounded the Blazers 51-45.

The Dubs offense was terrific once they got untracked and the defense was superb. After the game, Kevin Durant said’ Steph had it going early on.” He also remarked the he “can’t wait for the start of the season.”  Coach Steve Kerr noted that the Blazers are “one of the hardest teams to guard.  (they are) explosive and space you out and we weren’t quite ready” at the start of the game. He also said this about Draymond Green”(he was) all over the place defensively.” Kerr praised Ian Clark this way ” really like him, and he will play a big role for us this year.”

The Dubs went 6-1 in the preseason. However, those games do not count. The season opens Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena. The Warriors will face the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, coached by Greg Popovich, are always tough. Tim Duncan has retired, but they still have Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldredge, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. They may be a little older, but they know how to win. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Curry Drops 40 In Legendary Performance, Warriors Take 3-1 Lead.

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By Shawn Whelchel

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry who led the Warriors in scoring in game four over the Portland Trailblazers is jubilant to be back in the line up

For fans of the Golden State Warriors, watching star point guard Stephen Curry drop 40 points on an opponent is something that could happen on any given night. But last night’s performance from the unanimous MVP of the league carried with it the type of legendary ethos that put’s him in the conversation with the likes of Michael Jordan and other playoff legends.

Returning for the first time since spraining his MCL in Game 4 of the Houston series, Curry was at the forefront of a resurgent effort from the Golden State Warriors, as he would score an NBA-record 17 points in overtime to notch a 132-125 win, giving his squad a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Curry was only supposed to play sparingly, if that, in his first return to action. But a uncharacteristic ejection from guard Shaun Livingston thrust him back into the thick of it in the second half. Curry didn’t disappoint, going on to secure yet another personal record while stomping any notion of momentum from a scrappy Portland team in the series standings.

Golden State trailed for most of the game, taking their first lead late in the third quarter. The two team’s exchanged baskets in a close contest until a late Harrison Barnes triple forced overtime.

From there on, it was the Curry show, as the sharpshooter went to work all over the court to put his first mark on the series. After giving his team the lead with a layup with just over two minutes to go, Curry would come down the court to nail a three from the top of the key, pounding his chest while stating “I’m back” to the Portland crowd.

Portland would be unable to make up the difference, being sent to the fringe of elimination following the loss.

Damian Lillard played big for Portland again, scoring 36 points on 9-for-30 shooting, with five of his buckets coming from behind the arc. Nearly all Portland starters would end up in double-figures besides Maurice Harkless, who finished with 8 points.

The game was a scrappy showcase from both teams who seemed to refuse to quit. But it was yet another notch in Steph Curry’s legendary belt, and showed how dangerous a team the Warriors are on the court with their healthy MVP knocking down buckets.

Should Curry be fully recovered from his knee injury-and by the looks of things last night it appears he is- last night may have been a dagger in Portland’s season.

 

 

Portland take Game 3 thanks to Lillard’s 40 points

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Columnist

AP photo: Rip City Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard scores 40 on the Golden State Warriors in game three in Portland on Saturday

PORTLAND, OR — So much for the Portland Trail Blazers wilting under pressure.

Damian Lillard poured in a career-high 40 points added 10 assists, igniting Portland to a 120-108 victory Saturday night in Game 3 of the their Western Conference semifinal series.

With the win, Portland becomes just the second team to beat Golden State twice this season while trimming the Warriors’ lead, 2-1 in their best-of-7 series.

“I was really happy about the way we played tonight,” Lillard, who shot 14-of-27 from the field, including 8-0f-13 on 3s, said postgame. “We were the more aggressive team down the stretch.”

The Trail Blazers led 58-46 at halftime, and even saw their lead balloon to as much as 2o points in the fourth quarter.

Al Farouq-Aminu added 23 points and 10 rebounds while starting the game shooting 7-of-7 before finishing 8-of-9 from the floor. Aminu was even deadly from behind the three-point line, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc.

C.J. McCollum, who started off the game 1-of-7, finished the game with 22 points on 8-0f-18 shooting.

Draymond Green scored a career-high 37 points, including 8-of-12 on 3s (also a career-high for any game). Green drained five 3s en route to a 19 point third quarter, but took responsibility for Golden State’s loss.

“That team [Portland], they had doubt. I could tell they had doubt,” said Green. “And we didn’t take advantage of it…And that’s on me.”

Golden State’s defense looked erratic at best at times.

As a team, Portland shot the lights out the ball from deep, converting 17-of-30 on 3s. The Trail Blazers shot 46-percent from the floor (40-of-86).

But the heartbeat of the Warriors has already gone on record that Golden State will make the necessary adjustments to win Game 4.

“We’ll be better there [defensively],” Green added. “I’ll be better. We’ll win.”

Klay Thompson scored 18 of his 35 points in the first quarter. Thompson was blistering hot in the first quarter, making 7-of-12 shots, including 4-of-5 on 3s. It was the second time this series that Thompson scored 18 points in the opening period, accomplishing the feet in Game 1.

There is the possibility of Stephen Curry  suiting up for Game 4 on Monday in Portland. The MVP played two-on-two Saturday before Game 3 and participated in additional drills, but no word has been given regarding Curry’s availability.

Golden State could use Curry’s scoring, especially tonight.

Outside of the huge performances from Green and Thompson, and Leandro Barbosa’s 10 points off the bench, Golden State didn’t have any other players in double-figures.

Harrison Barnes (2-of-8) and Andre Iguodala (0-for-5) combined for 8 points, while Shaun Livingston finished with just 2 points.

 

 

 

Kings forget how to box out in loss at home

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by Michael Martinez

picture credit Luke Cheng/Getty Images

SACRAMENTO- The Kings were down five players tonight. Omri Casspi and Marco Belinelli were out because of injury while Rudy Gay, Kosta Kofous and Darren Collison sat on the sideline just to rest. This might have played a factor in the loss tonight as Sacramento was out hustled and out rebounded.

The Kings’ biggest fault in tonight’s game was giving up offensive rebounds and way too many second chance opportunities. Portland score 26 second chance points and had 19 offensive rebounds. Somehow, the Kings lost while shooting over 50% in the game.

DeMarcus Cousins started off the game and dominated with 18 first half points. Cousins finished the game with 30 points to tie Mitch Richmond for the most 30 point games in a season with 26.

Rajon Rondo had a huge night himself with his sixth triple double of the season to set the all time Sacramento record. Rondo recorded a season high 27 points, 12 assists and 10 boards. However, the big nights from the Kings top players was just not enough. Even though the Blazers made less field goals than Sacramento, they made nine more free throws. Portland gave themselves way more opportunities than the Kings to score on the offensive end and yet again Sacramento’s defense was below par.

Not to mention, the Kings turned the ball over 19 times, which led to 24 points in Portland’s favor. As the final buzzer sounded, Portland won 115-107.

The Kings gave a pretty good effort against the playoff bound Blazers and even cut the lead down to one with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. The Kings got themselves in trouble thanks to a Cousins’ technical foul, his 17 of the season, as well as a tech on Quincy Acy.

On an inbounds pass, Acy pointed from the bench and the ball hit his hand causing interference and a technical.

Portland’s Maurice Harkless played a huge role in the Blazers’ win with a great second half. Harkless scored all of his 20 points in the second half. The Kings were up 57-51 at the half, meaning Harkless half was pivotal to the win. Damian Lilliard added 20 for the game.

CJ McCollum, who was once on the Kings draft radar, had a game high 30 points going 11-20 from the field and 5-10 from behind the arc. McCollum continues to improve and solidify him and Lilliard’s case as one of the best starting backcourts.

Sacramento will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at 7 p.m. Minnesota just defeated the Golden State Warriors tonight. The Kings will played their second to last game ever at Sleep Train Arena and hopefully they can get a couple more wins in the historical arena.

Seth Curry has career night in loss

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit NBAE

SACRAMENTO- The Kings rested their three best players. Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins all sat out Monday night in Portland. With that being said, there probably was not a ton of hope to get a win over the Trail Blazers who are battling for a playoff spot. The Kings lost to the Blazers 105-93.

Surprisingly though, the Kings stayed in the game for the first quarter. Sacramento played well, except Portland could not miss a shot even if they tried.

The Blazers broke it open in the second quarter going up by as many as 16 and shooting slightly over 55% from the field. But the third quarter is where things fell apart for the Kings.

While Portland only scored 23 points, the Kings shot a dismal 25% in the third quarter and scored a measly 11 points. The Kings turned the ball over seven times and could not buy a bucket. The Blazers led Sacramento by as many as 28 points and the Kings never really had a chance.

The fourth was the Kings chance to try and come back but the deficit was just too much, even though Portland shot under 30% in the quarter. Seth Curry scored 12 points in the quarter and finished for a career high of 21. Curry was really the only bright spot as the Kings perimeter defense wasn’t very tough. Portland almost shot 50% from beyond the arc, knocking down 14 shots from the perimeter.

Portland’s Allen Crabbe elicited exactly what the Blazers did tonight. He tied Curry for the game high with 21 points on 8-10 shooting, 3-4 from behind the three point line. The most difficult part of this loss is the fact that Damian Lillard only scored 13 points and the Kings still never had a chance.

Nonetheless, when the team’s three best players are resting, nabbing a victory is going to be pretty difficult. Yet again, the Kings’ defensive woes hurt them as Portland shot lights out.

Omri Casspi had a pretty good game with 18 points. Willie Cauley-Stein added 13 points and grabbed 14 boards as the rookie continues to play well. As the season winds down, this game shows just how important Gay, Rondo and Cousins are to the team. The Kings will take on the Washington Wizards at home this Wednesday at 7 p.m. Hopefully the Kings’ big three comes back and helps them get another win at home.

 

 

 

Kings will go with a short bench tonight in Portland

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cuz at rest

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have announced that four of their players will be held out of the game tonight in Portland versus the Trail Blazers. Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay will not play as they will be “rested” by the team. Marco Belinelli who has a sore right foot will miss his second consecutive game.

With the team no longer in the playoff hunt, the Kings are trying to be smart about how they use their stars down the final stretch. The team has already started to limit the starters playing time in order to give younger players some much needed playing experience.

Rondo has been among the “walking wounded” for weeks. He has been suffering from a right first metatarsal-phalangeal joint sprain, better known as “turf toe”. Rondo has also been dealing with a right thumb sprain and right shoulder contusion.

DeMarcus Cousins has been suffering from a bruised right knee, ankle sprains and  tendinitis  in both feet. It has been reported that Cousins in planning to have a platelet rich plasma procedure after the season ends to deal with the condition. Cousins is planning to compete for a roster spot to play on Team USA in the Olympics.

A loss in Portland or in any of the nine remaining games actually benefits the Kings. If the Kings finish outside the bottom 10 teams in the NBA, their first-round draft pick would to go to the Chicago Bulls. The loss of a number one draft selection would be devastating to the rebuilding plans for the team.

No one is using the “tank” word, but there is not a sense of urgency to win all nine of the remaining games.

Splash Brothers’ 71 points douses Blazers

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit: bleacherreport.com–Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson

OAKLAND, Calif — Note to the NBA: the Golden State Warriors are good.

Damn, good.

Klay Thompson scored 37 points and Stephen Curry finished with 34 points helping the reigning NBA Champions win their 47th consecutive at Oracle Arena with a 122-112 victory over the visiting Portland Trailblazers Friday night and avenge the 32-point drubbing the Warriors experienced in Portland three weeks ago.

The game was really decided in the first half by the Splash Brothers, as Thompson and Curry combined for 46 of Golden State’s 81 points in the first half. From the moment the referee blew his whistle, the Warriors were going to be in another gear all night as they would never trail in the game.

Thompson and Curry were deadly from behind the three-point line, combining to shoot 15 for 25 on 3s, and 26 for 55 overall from the floor.

Thompson went over the 200-mark for 3s for the fourth straight season. Earlier in the week, Curry became just the first person in NBA history to nail 300 3s in a season.

Draymond Green added 17 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, as Golden State (58-6) committed a season-low eight turnovers after committing 39 in the first two games of their current six-game home stand.

C.J. McCollum led Portland (34-32) with 18 points on 6 for 15 shooting

Damian Lilliard, who torched Golden State for 51 points in the previous meeting, scored just 17 points on 5 for 19 shooting. Golden State made Lillard’s night tough, forcing the Blazers’ point guard into missing 15 of his first 17 shots to open up the game as the Warriors played great defense virtually the entire night.

The Oakland native and Oakland High School product had his string of 20+ points against the Warriors snapped at four.

With 19 made 3s by Portland and 18 made 3s by Golden State, the two teams combined to shoot 37 for 76 on 3s, breaking the record for 3s made in an NBA game.

Both teams are in action Saturday with Golden State hosting the Phoenix Suns, and Portland heading home to host the Orlando Magic.

 

Worn Down Kings lose, 112-97, in Portland

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by Michael Martinez

Picture by (Steve Dykes/AP Photo)

SACRAMENTO- DeMarcus Cousins has been a treat to watch, notching career highs in points in back to back games. 48 in a win against the Pacers and 56, a Sacramento franchise high, against the Hornets in a double overtime loss. But Boogie looked tired and struggled mightily tonight, which really hurt the Kings who were without Rudy Gay who suffered a corneal abrasion in last night’s ball game. Nobody for the Kings stepped up and there was not much from the bench besides Marco Belinelli, giving the Portland Trailblazers the victory, 112-97.

Early on, the Kings looked good with Rajon Rondo and Willie Cauley-Stein connecting on consecutive alley-oops for the team’s first two field goals. Rondo penetrated the defense well and did a nice job of getting open looks or easy baskets for his teammates, especially Cauley-Stein. Rondo tried to give a team who looked tired some early energy. The team’s ball movement was nice with nine team assists in the quarter.

Tied at 15, Cousins got called for a charge and Coach George Karl was not happy, picking up a technical foul. Once the Blazers knocked down the free throw, Portland never looked back and held the lead for the majority of the game afterwards. Both teams were not too careless with the ball and scored well in the paint as the Blazers led 33-29 at the end of the first. Nonetheless, the game still looked close.

As the second quarter got underway, Cousins frustration grew and Rondo and Cauley-Stein couldn’t continue their hot start. Rondo scored nine in the first and WCS notched eight. Cousins could not buy a basket from the field going 3-14 in the half, but getting to the line seven times and making six of the seven shots. The Kings played pretty good defense, but the Blazers found a way to shoot at a high percentage, 50% for the half. The Kings found a way to hang around even with their offensive struggles as Portland’s largest lead in the half was nine. Cousins had a half time high with 12 points and CJ McCollum had 11 to lead Portland.

With just under three minutes to play in the quarter, Cauley-Stein took a bump to the eye and headed to the locker room. Willie received stitches and donned a bandage on his eyebrow in the second half.

After a tough half of basketball, the Blazers held a six-point lead, 58-52.

In the third, the Blazers continued to shoot at a high percentage and the Kings faltered. Portland put up a 30-point quarter on 50% shooting. Every Blazers player who entered in the third scored, while the Kings shot at 40% and couldn’t get a bucket from their best player. Cousins only way of scoring was from the free throw line and in the quarter he went 2 of 8. The Kings were down seven at one point and could not score on possessions where they had a wide open look from Cousins and a couple of missed lay ups by Rondo. When the Kings failed to cut the lead to five, Portland attacked the Kings defense and went up by as many as 14 points. Missed free throws also kept the Kings from hanging around, 4-12 in third. With three quarters in the books, Portland led, 88-74.

The Trail Blazers started the fourth with a 10-4 run causing Sacramento to call a timeout. Portland’s offense continued to sizzle as they went up by as many as 22. With the lead very much out of reach, Karl took out Cousins, Rondo and Willie to give them some much needed rest after logging a ton of minutes the night before.

In garbage time, Seth Curry put up seven points and gave the Kings a little offense. The Kings turned the ball over six times in the quarter and after a good first quarter and mostly first half, slowed down. The Blazers took advantage of a tired Kings team to put themselves in line for the eighth seed, defeating Sacramento, 112-97. Portland came into tonight’s ball game a game behind the Kings for that eighth spot.

Myers Leonard frustrated Boogie big time and Cousins was absolutely drained. His legs weren’t quite under him, 4-21 on field goals and 9-17 from the free throw line. Cousins had a team high with 17 points. McCollum finished with a game high 18 points. The Blazers shot really well and the Kings did not shoot as well as they would have liked, 41.9%. Seven of Portland’s players scored in double figures, with their leader Damian Lilliard notching 15 points.

Rondo finished with 15 points and 11 assists for another double double as he played an excellent game, but just couldn’t get enough energy from the rest of the team. Belinelli finished with 14 points as his shot looked much better. Belinelli and the Kings hope that he can get his stroke back. Cauley-Stein finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Willie’s defense has been a huge plus for the Kings since his return.

The Kings have an off day tomorrow before they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday. Tomorrow will be a well deserved rest day as the team travels and hopefully Boogie will find his stride once again. After all, this is his first mediocre game of January, Big Cous has been dominant. The Kings have dropped two in a row now and will look to get back to their winning ways in January on Thursday at New Orleans.