NBA Recap: Tyreke Evans stars as the Sacramento Kings thrash the Portland Trail Blazers 96-81
Tyreke Evans erupted with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to lift the Sacramento Kings past Portland Trail Blazers 96-81 on Monday night at Rose Garden. The loss also put an end to Trail Blazers' five-game winning streak.
The Kings had five players in double figures. Carl Landry added 16 points and eight boards off the bench. Guard Beno Udrih and DeMarcus Cousins contributed 14 points apiece and Omri Casspi scored 12 points for Sacramento, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Udrih said after the game, "This is huge, especially for us," "We have been right there ... going into the fourth quarter with a lead and just blowing the game, so it's been pretty frustrating. To see what we did today against a playoff contending team feels great."
Wesley Matthews scored 21 for Portland; Andre Miller added 18 points while Nicolas Batum ended with 16 points for Portland, who lost for the first time against the Kings in nine meetings.
The key to Sacramento’s success were the 31 points on Portland’s 19 turnovers - a season high for the Trail Blazers. In addition to that, Sacramento shot 50 percent (38-of-76) in the game, while holding Portland to 39.5 percent shooting.
The Trail Blazers got off to a fast start, using quality defense and efficient scoring to take an early 10-2 lead. The Blazers however got a little bit loose around the mid-way point of the quarter and the Kings took advantage, tracking down Portland and taking their first lead of the game at 19-18. Sacramento continued to mount the pressure, taking a 25-20 lead into the second.
The Blazers came back strongly in the second; however the Kings successfully maintained a 45-43 lead, going into the locker room. The third quarter got a little chippy. The Kings continued to struggle with turnovers and let their shooting percentage dip heavily in the quarter. The only thing that kept them afloat was their stellar rebounding and by the time, the third quarter ended, the Kings were still leading by 5.
The Kings maintained their lead into the fourth. They were leading by 83-79 with four minutes to play and then scored the game's next seven points to put it out of reach.
Portland coach Nate McMillan rued the loss, "We just did not seem like we came with that edge we have been playing with lately. We did not look hungry. It was like we thought we could flip a switch."
Disappointing night for LaMarcus Aldridge
Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge, who had nine points and seven rebounds, failed to reach double figures in scoring for the first time since December 5, 2010.
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