Sacramento Kings steal victory in the clutch; Beat Portland Trail Blazers 104-103 – NBA Recap
The Sacramento Kings rode the home court advantage and the crowd that had come out to support them, to win a thriller against the Portland Trail Blazers 104-103 here at the Power Balance Pavilion.
Just two days after the arena deal fell off for Sacramento, the Kings fans came out in strong number to show support for their team and their team did not disappoint.
Marcus Thornton was the leader for the Kings on the night, scoring 20 points from 9 of 18 shooting from the field and hit the game winning jumper. Wesley Matthews was on fire for Portland, scoring 31 points including 8 of 10 from
beyond the arc.
Sacramento had lost 7 games in a row coming into this match but put up an inspiring performance to give their fans something to cheer about.
"It feels good. Even with all the drama going on, our fans still came out and supported us, stayed engaged in the game and showed their loyalty to us. We're thankful to have them and we love them for it” said DeMarcus Cousins on
the incredible crowd turnout.
Portland led throughout the first half after taking the lead with the first shot of the game. A layup by Raymond Felton gave Portland an 8 point advantage with 4:46 remaining in the first frame. Jimmer Fredette scored a jump shot
for the Kings with 33 seconds left to cut the lead to 6 and Portland went into the second quarter leading 28-22.
Six consecutive shots by the Kings early in the 2nd period brought them to within 2 of Portland. Tyreke Evans then tied the game at 30 with a jump shot for Sacramento. Portland replied with a 14-3 run to regain an 11
point advantage. Back to back to back three point shots by Travis Outlaw and Terrence Williams brought the Kings back to within 5 points. Raymond Felton then sank a three pointer for Portland to give them a 54-46 lead at the end of the first half.
The Kings tied the game at 76 with a reverse layup by DeMarcus Cousins. Matthews sank a three pointer but was answered in the next possession with a three by Thornton to keep the game tied at 79. Matthews then went to the free
throw line off a foul and scored both shots to give Portland an 81-79 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The kings took the lead for the first time in the game with a jump shot by Chuck Hayes and extended the lead to three with a free throw by Cousins to give Sacramento their largest lead of the night. Matthews quickly made the game
level again with a 3 pointer. He was hot from the 3 point line, going 8 of 10 for the night.
After Cousins put in a difficult layup to give the Kings a 2 point lead with 10 seconds remaining in the game, Matthews answered again for the Trail Blazers with a corner three to put Portland up by 1 with 5.8 seconds remaining.
However, it was to be Thornton’s night as he was inbounded the ball and hit a jump shot to win the game for Sacramento 104-103.
Thornton had 20 points and 5 rebounds for the night, while the Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins scored 23 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Tyreke Evans added 20 points and Isaiah Thomas had 18 points and a game high 8 assists on a
good scoring night for the Kings.
The Trail Blazers scoring was dominated by Wesley Matthews with 31 points, but was assisted by Raymond Felton with 19 points and Nicolas Batum with 14 points. J.J Hickson had 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Portland.
Portland shot brilliantly, going 52.6% from the field and 16 of 32 from the 3 point line. The Kings were 47.4% from the field and 8 of 19 from beyond the arc. The kings, however, had 8 steals against 3 for Portland and committed
only 6 turnovers as compared to 17 for Portland. They also outscored Portland 58-30 in points within the paint.
Portland shot better from the perimeter, particularly the 3 point line, while the Kings dominated the paint area led by Cousins. This was Portland’s second loss in a row and the Trail Blazers are now drifting away from the rest
of the pack in the fight for the 8th spot in the Western Conference.
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