Sacramento Kings snap the losing streak; Beat Portland Trail Blazers 95-92: NBA Recap
Things finally turned around in the favour of Sacramento Kings at the Power Balance Pavilion, as they put an end to their five game losing streak by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 95-92 this Thursday, Feb 2, 2012.
In what was Marcus Thornton’s first game after recovering from injury, the shooting guard scored 20 points to lead the way. John Salmons delivered with a seasons-high 19 points, followed by Tyreke Evans’ 18 and Jason Thompson’s
12 rebounds and 13 points double-double.
For the Trail Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge was on song. The sensational power forward went 12-for-19 from the field for 28 points and also grabbed 14 rebounds to marshal his team. Raymond Felton also had an impact with 15 points
and a game-high10 assists. Jamal Crawford and Kurt Thomas also had 17 and 10 points respectively for Portland, who led by as many as 13 points deep into the second quarter.
The opening period was fairly even as the two teams almost matched each other shot by shot. With 2:32 left in the first quarter, John Salmons drilled a shot from distance to initiate a 9-2 run, putting the Kings ahead by one, 27-26.
The Trail Blazers however capped the frame with four consecutive points to take a 30-27 advantage into the second.
Portland then jumped off to a 13-3 run at the very start of the second stanza to consolidate their lead at 43-30. The Kings responded swiftly with a 10-0 run; only to see the Trail Blazers end the half with an 11-6 spree and take
a 56-47 lead.
The third quarter however proved to be the disaster for the Trail Blazers. Shooting at above 55 percent before, the visitors slumped to a 6- of – 24 shooting in the frame, allowing the Kings to comeback in the game. The hosts obliged
and by the time, the third quarter ended, they were leading the Trail Blazers by 71-69.
The tension was high as the game entered into its decisive moments. The game swung from one end to another in the early passage and with Aldridge’s successive free throws with 7:08 seconds remaining in the last quarter, the Trail
Blazers made it a one point game at 78-79. A Crawford three seconds later actually took them ahead by 81-79. The Kings bounced back with a 7-2 spurt to regain the advantage, but could never really pull away.
That however changed in the last three minutes of the game. With the game tied at 88, Sacramento raced away to a decisive 7-2 run to take a 95-90, one which eventually proved to be bit too much for the Trail Blazers to overcome.
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