This was a weird game. There were so many backwards stats and themes that are usually non-existent in a usual Blazer game. However, not even the massive heroics by Damian Lillard could pull the Blazers back from the jaws of defeat as the Portland Trail Blazers fall to the Sacramento Kings 123-119. The Kings are going to be a dangerous team in a couple of years if they can get the right pieces. However, tonight showed the youth and the little bit of immaturity that is still roaming in this Kings squad and the Blazers almost snuck one by them.

The Blazers came out strong in the first quarter outscoring the Kings 35-24 and looked to be in command of this game. However, in the second quarter the Kings got their offense rolling and the defense by the Blazers possibly slacked back a little again. Outscoring the Blazers 31-25 in the second quarter, the Blazers still had a 5-point lead going into halftime, but you could tell that the momentum had shifted.

The third quarter, in what is usually the Blazers’ biggest weapon, was their downfall tonight. The Blazers only scored 13 points as each shot seemed to rim off or think about going in and then promptly roll right out. The third quarter was not so much a question of effort and defense as the Kings only scored 25, but the offense was not rolling like it normally is. Aldridge was getting his spots and Wesley was getting his spots, but the shots were just not falling. Tonight felt like there was a massive lid on the basket and nothing could break through. However, just when you decided to turn off the TV, the Blazers found a little bit of mojo again as they always do. They scored a whopping 46 in the fourth quarter and almost stole this game away in the last couple of minutes in this game. Damian was unconscious as he made 4 straight shots and one was almost a four-point play. Is anybody getting flashbacks of Tracy McGrady in 2004? If you do not know what I am talking about, check this out.

Alas, there was just not enough time left on the clock and the Kings just crowded Lillard towards the end. However, Damian seemed to make a more difficult three every time down the floor. When the Blazers do get to the playoffs, Lillard is going to be dangerous.

The Blazers were down by 10 with 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Blazers were able to get as close as 2 before the end of the game. One thing no one will ever say about this team is that they are quitters. The Blazers gave themselves the best chance to win this game and darn near pulled it off.  Now, there are no moral victories here as the Blazers should have won this game. However, what Damian did tonight was spectacular.

The Blazers shot 37% from three and were better than the 76ers game a couple nights ago. However, you are starting to see some hesitation from the shooters from beyond the arc. There were a couple of times where the Blazers should have shot the three, but decided against it. Now, credit to the Kings’ defense for making it difficult for the threes to fall, but I think the Blazers’ shooters are better than that. The Blazers’ three-point shooters have made some ridiculous shots already this season when they just don’t think about it. Tonight, I think we saw them think about it a couple of times (obviously not Damian at the end).

Here is where the stats get a little ridiculous. Both teams combined for 67-for-86 from the FT tonight. Wow. Needless to say, this was not a fast game. This game happened at the line. What is scary is that the Kings went 36-for-50 from the line. They missed a lot of shots, while the Blazers went 31-for-36. I am not going to say anything about the refereeing , but it is always a little jarring seeing that kind of numbers just from the FT line.

Probably the most telling stat of the night was the points off of turnovers. The Kings scored a whopping 25 points off of the Blazers’ 16 TOs while the Blazers were only able to grab 8 points off of the Kings 8 TOs. Again, the turnover beast is coming back to bite the Blazers again as the ball seems to be flying all over the place. Bad passes and losing the ball on drives were evident throughout the game. On a side note, the points in the paint were actually manageable tonight as the Kings only scored 44 points while the Blazers had 38.

The Blazer defense, again, showed up in the fourth quarter when it was already too late. In the second and third quarter, the defense slacked back and caused some incredibly easy lay-ups for Rudy Gay. The Kings deserve credit for making tough shots and having their big three do their jobs tonight, but I still do not understand why the Blazers only play good defense in the fourth quarter. You could see it immediately. All of a sudden the guards were poking at the ball and even forced a couple of turnovers. I will say that the defense in the first quarter was respectable, but the second and third quarters were a nightmare. If the Blazers can figure out this defense problem, then these games will be theirs. Tonight was almost a W even though everything was pretty much going the wrong way for Portland.

Obviously, Damian Lillard had the most impressive individual stats for Portland. He finished the night with 41 points on 13-for-24 shooting, 7-for-13 from three, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. His three-point shooting is just a beauty to watch. When it gets it going, watch out. He will make shots from half-court or while fading away in the corner. It is absolutely ridiculous what he can do when he is hot. Unfortunately, this performance had to be on a night where the Blazers lose, but Lillard is showing that he should be in the All-Star Game and that he is going to be the Blazers’ closer for the foreseeable future.

Aldridge had a rough shooting night, but still finished with 24 points on 8-for-20 shooting and 8 rebounds. Aldridge had his spots, but, like I said above, there was a lid on the basket and it seemed that nothing came easy for the All-Star tonight.

Well, luckily, the Blazers play tomorrow in the hopes of removing the thought of this game completely. However, the question of fatigue will come up as all of the Blazer starters played almost 40 minutes tonight. LA and Batum clocked in at 39 minutes, Wesley at 37 minutes, Lopez at 36, and Damian at 38. The bench will have to produce tomorrow in a big way.

I guess we will find out as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Orlando Magic for the first time this season at the Moda Center at 7:00 p.m. PST. The Magic haven’t been particularly good, but they have one of the rookie of the year candidates in Victor Oladipo and a strong youth core with Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic. However, with Vucevic having a concussion he will most likely not play, which could end up being a nice break for the Blazers. They also have a possible all-star shooting guard in Aaron Afflalo who has been playing the best basketball of his career. This should be an entertaining one to watch. Stay tuned!