(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Another opportunity.

That was the theme in last night’s somewhat uncomfortable match against the Sacramento Kings as the Portland Trail Blazers looked to put a positive note on their last road game of the season.

Thanks to a key adjustment by head coach Terry Stotts by playing Mo Harkless 20 minutes in the second half and the Blazers finally giving the Kings some grief on the defensive end, Portland swept the season series against the Kings with a 115-107 victory. The Blazers improve to 42-37 on the season, while the Kings fall to 31-47. Portland is now one win away from clinching a playoff berth.

This Kings team was going to be different than the second-string squad the Blazers faced in Portland a couple of weeks ago. The main difference being that star big man DeMarcus Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo would be playing, which is enough to change the strategy.

In short, the Blazers still do not have anyone to guard Cousins. But, not many teams do. However, the one player that surprisingly gave Cousins issues was Meyers Leonard, who is out with injury for the rest of the season. So, Portland had to improvise.

What transpired was a first half that saw both sides play defense that was akin to a wet newspaper. In the first half, the Kings shot 63 percent, 50 percent from three, while the Blazers shot 43 percent from the field themselves and 43 percent from three.

There was no defense being played and it seemed to be contagious. Portland’s backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum finally experienced plenty of open shots. So much so that it seemed to affect the defensive end of the floor. It was that mindset that shots would be easy to come by and therefore points were there for the taking.

That thinking doomed the Blazers and saw the Kings take a six-point lead into halftime thanks to Cousins’ 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and Rondo going 5-of-7 from the field with 12 points.

McCollum was the sole Blazer in double figures in the first half and, boy, did the Blazers need him. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 4-of-5 from three. He has been absolutely lethal from distance and with the Kings giving him ample room to stop and shoot a mid-range or wiggle his way down the baseline for a layup, McCollum had a field day.

So, what changed? What prompted Portland to finally get their act together? These are the kind of games a team in the Blazers’ position cannot lose, especially with a game coming the next day.

Harkless answered the bell and was the catalyst for Portland’s surge in the second half. The Blazers shot 52 percent from the field and 56 percent from three in the third quarter thanks to the active and energetic performance from Harkless who had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 2-of-4 from three with 14 rebounds, five offensive, one assist and two steals. That was just the second half alone.

Harkless not only frustrated the Kings by getting in their passing lanes and staying behind to be a pest, but he was grabbing second-chance opportunities and capitalizing on every one. In the second half, Portland scored 17 points on second-chance opportunities to the Kings’ seven. Furthermore, the Blazers out-rebounded Sacramento 29-19, including nine offensive rebounds.

The Blazers went small and it baffled the Kings. Portland scored over 30 points in both quarters in the second half and it all culminated in an offensive possession where Portland got three chances and that ultimately ended with McCollum burying a three in front of the Kings’ bench, solidifying the game.

While Rondo kept pace with 15 points in the second half, Cousins struggled going 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-3 from three. Portland preyed on Sacramento’s emotional tendencies and it showed in Cousins getting a technical foul, the bench getting a technical foul due to interference and the Kings throwing the ball away in the waning seconds.

There were second opportunities not just for the Blazers, but for Harkless who has suddenly found new life in Portland’s starting lineup. In his last five outings, he is averaging 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field. Much can be said about it being just a five-game sample, but the truth remains that he has provided something in every one of those games. He makes things happen.

Now, the Blazers are at the cusp of securing their third straight playoff berth and their first chance is against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 7:00 p.m. PST at the Moda Center.

With the last two games being against under .500 teams, the Blazers would gain an advantage nabbing a victory.

Stay tuned!