The Portland Trail Blazers survived an important test in Sacramento, defeating the Kings 128-120 to secure their first road win of the season and improve to 2-0.
Coming off their season opener against the Suns, it was a given that the Blazers’ next opponent would present a more difficult challenge, even if it was against the relegation-zone candidate Sacramento Kings.
Early foul trouble didn’t make Portland’s first road game of the season any easier, as the Kings jumped out to a 12-point lead early.
“We lost our composure a little bit, started worrying about the refs, myself included,” Coach Micah Nori said postgame.
The Blazers responded well in the second quarter to keep the game close heading into halftime, down only 5 points, and much of that credit belongs to Sidy Cissoko, who scored 10 of his career-high 15 first-half points in the period.
When Portland came out of the halftime break, they took their play to a level similar to what we saw in the season opener, outscoring the Kings 44-26 in the quarter and pouring in 10 three-pointers in the frame.
Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija combined for 22 points in the third quarter, giving Portland a 13-point lead heading into the fourth.
Led by monster performances from Domantas Sabonis and Darius Acuff Jr. Sacramento gave Portland a real run in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the Blazers held on and didn't relinquish their lead to give Micah Nori the second win of his head coaching career.
In what wasn’t the prettiest game of basketball, Portland showed that they can win games in more ways than one.
Blazers Bench Mob
The Kings didn’t come out blazing, but they forced the Blazers starters into early foul trouble, pulling center Donovan Clingan just 1:58 into the game.
With the cushion of being in the bonus, Sacramento piled it on, extending its first-quarter lead to as many as 12 points.
Robert Williams and Sidy Cissoko came in brilliantly to steady the ship, leading Portland in first-half scoring, and anchoring a bench unit that delivered timely stops and baskets to cut the deficit to just five points at halftime.
The bench’s ability to keep the game within striking distance proved crucial, allowing the starters to come out of halftime on a blistering 15-0 run that helped propel Portland to victory.
The Blazers bench unit outscored its California counterparts 44-22.
Winning by Committee
The benefit of having such a deep and talented roster is that everyone can chip in offensively when someone is struggling on any given night.
Damian Lillard didn't have a particularly good offensive game by his standards, scoring 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
Earlier in his career, Lillard often had to play hero ball, even when his shot wasn’t falling, because the offensive talent around him wasn't enough for his team to win games.
But with the likes of Avdija, Morant, and others on this roster, Lillard doesn't need to do it all by himself and can fit into the offense and take on a scoring role when the opportunities present themselves.
Avdija pitched in 26 points, Camara scored 19 with 5 three-pointers and Morant orchestrated well with 7 assists to go along with his 12 points.
It was an all-around collective effort, with seven Portland players scoring in double figures.
"In this league, you have to have depth all the way through, and to get seven guys in double figures on a night where we didn't really shoot it well from three (was good)," Nori said postgame, "The depth is why I think that we're an awful good ball club."
The Blazers will look to maintain their unbeaten record when they visit Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers on October 27, with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. PT.
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