The Sacramento Kings won a thriller yesterday against the Portland Trailblazers by a score of 126-121. Listed down below are the highs and lows pertaining to the purple and white in the contest.
Highs
Protecting the Basketball: The Kings have not been the best when protecting the basketball this season as they average 13.6 turnovers a contest. However, the Kings did well last night by recording just 10 turnovers for the game.
Bench Support: The offense from Sacramento’s bench yesterday was astounding, specifically Anthony Tolliver, Ty Lawson, and Arron Afflalo. The bench was able to score a total of 49 points for the game, but the trio listed above contributed to 38 of those points scored.
DeMarcus Cousins: Cousins was an absolute beast yesterday. Not only did the big man record a colossal 55 points and 13 rebounds, but DeMarcus showed up when it mattered. In the final two minutes of the game, Cousins was able to execute three offensive possessions in which he scored three points in each. Those three possessions were vital as they helped Sacramento get past a tough Blazers team in the end.
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Lows
Slow Start: The Kings have been notorious this season for starting off games slow. Unfortunately, that was the case in yesterday’s contest. In the first quarter, the Kings trailed the Blazers by a score of 35-27, which then caused Sacramento to trail by 12 points entering halftime. Sacramento needs to start off games better so they don’t have to play catch-up throughout the entire game. They may have won yesterday, but slow starts will cost the Kings valuable games going forward.
Rebounding: The Kings lost the battle of the board in yesterday’s game. Although the Blazers only grabbed 41 rebounds for the night, the Kings finished the game recording a surprising (and abysmal) 31 rebounds. Other than Cousins, no other player on Sacramento recorded more than 4 rebounds.
Perimeter Defense: The duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were too much for the Kings’ defense last night. The final stat line for the Blazers’ duo: 60 points, 19 assists, and 6 rebounds. The perimeter defense has been an alarming weakness that the Kings have showcased all season long, and they need to improve this aspect of the game if they want to be more competitive moving forward.