The Portland Trail Blazers continued their phenomenal start to the season on Friday night, improving to 2-0 with a 128-120 road victory over the Sacramento Kings. And no, it wasn’t as dominant as the Blazers’ 41-point win over the Phoenix Suns in their opener, and this was a less talented opponent. It was still a win nonetheless, and the Blazers learned even more about themselves while continuing to prove that they’re a legitimate team in the Western Conference. Through two games, Portland has shown multiple ways it can win, which is an encouraging sign for this group.
But this game didn’t come with as much early momentum. In Portland’s opener, it came out strong and really put the game away early, whereas this one was a full four-quarter contest, which is good experience for a team like the Blazers. In fact, the Kings led throughout the first half, taking a 64-59 advantage into the break before Portland completely flipped the script in the third quarter. The Blazers struggled defensively early, allowing Sacramento to find success attacking the paint and getting quality looks offensively.
Portland opened the second half on a 15-0 run and turned a five-point deficit into a double-digit advantage, and that 44-point third quarter was really the difference. The Blazers outscored Sacramento by 18 points in the period, knocking down eight 3-pointers and completely changing the momentum of the game. What looked like it could be a disappointing road loss suddenly turned into a game Portland controlled entering the fourth quarter. Sacramento did make one final push late, but the Blazers ultimately did enough to hold on and earn their second consecutive victory.
Deni Avdija was Portland’s leading scorer with 26 points, while Damian Lillard and Toumani Camara chipped in 19 each. Robert Williams III shined off the bench with 13 points, while Ja Morant and Jrue Holiday each added 12 as the backcourt continues to provide a balanced attack. Sidy Cissoko was another important contributor with 15 points off the bench, helping keep Portland competitive when the starters were struggling. It’s clear that this team’s depth is going to be one of its biggest strengths throughout the season.
It wasn’t a perfect performance from the Blazers, especially defensively, and the 3-point shooting was poor overall, with Portland making just 14 of its 49 attempts. But the ability to win ugly, come from behind and get some experience earning a full four-quarter victory is good for the Blazers and their development this season. Portland has plenty to clean up, but a 2-0 start is exactly what this team hoped for entering the year. From here, the Blazers will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers on Tuesday, hoping to improve to 3-0.