Well, the Portland Trail Blazers will not go 82-0. Shocking, I know. A lot of fans predicted such a successful season, but no more. The Trail Blazers fell to the Sacramento Kings in the second game of the season 103-94 on Halloween night.
Now, that the ridiculousness of the hope of this Blazer team going 82-0 is over let us dive in.
The Sacramento Kings, on paper, did not make that many improvements. Point guard Isaiah Thomas is no longer with the team and was replaced by Darren Collison, who signed a three-year deal this offseason. Collision is one of those point guards who seems to be too good to come off the bench, but it is still questionable whether he should be starting for a team. Regardless, it looks like Collision is a better fit for this squad. The ball does not get stuck and the passing was a lot better than I have seen in years past. The 8th pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Nik Stauskas (which still does not make any sense for the Kings) is on the team now, but what contributions he will make and what impact he will have remains to be seen.
Almost immediately, Blazer fans could tell that this was a different Kings team. First of all, they played defense. Specifically, they were running the Blazers off that three-point line that is so deadly. The Blazers on the night went 9-for-26 and shot just 35% from beyond the arc. A couple of those threes came at the end of the game when the Sacramento defense started lightening up. For most of the game, however, the Kings were aggressive and tenacious on the defensive end. Sacramento obviously had a game plan of crowding Damian Lillard constantly and, again, running the Blazers off that three-point line. Even when the Blazers got in the paint, the energy and determination from the Kings’ defense seemed more mature and effective. There was always a body in front of any driving player, there were showing on all pick-and-rolls and they never allowed Portland to really get into a flow offensively. Sacramento fans should thank head coach Michael Malone for that.
On the offensive end, it was a back and forth game. Whenever one team would make a push, the other team would counter. In the third quarter, the Kings had an 11-point lead with 4:18 remaining. The Blazers were able to erase the lead in a hurry thanks to quick offense from Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge and a three-pointer from Steve Blake. At the end of the quarter, the Blazers had it tied at 71. The issue, much like the Oklahoma City game, was the fourth quarter, except this time the Blazers were on the other side. The Blazers jumped out to a four point lead on the back of three-pointers made by Blake and Matthews and looked to be in great position to take this game by the reins. Unfortunately, the offense disappeared. Missing opportunities on high-percentage shots and turnovers shot Portland in the foot. The Blazers would not score again until there was 4:26 remaining in the quarter. The Kings’ offense was not particular hot either. They did not start scoring consistently until there was 7:18 remaining. So, there was about a four minute gap where Portland could have shut the game down and should have. They had open looks and were getting stops. The ball just did not go in. This is further evidenced by the fact that the Blazers shot an abysmal 26% from the field in the fourth quarter.
The Blazers made it interesting as Lillard decided to get aggressive and get to the line. The Blazers got it within six before time just ran out. Similar to many Sacramento games, the Kings try their best to make sure that the other team has every chance to win this game. Fouls, bad shots, defense lightened up, the Kings gave the Blazers another opportunity, albeit a faint one.
Who was the main culprit for the Kings’ success? Rudy Gay. He finished with 40 points (career-high is 41) on 13-for-19 shooting, 3-for-4 from three and eight rebounds. Gay typically has nights that end with poor FG%. He usually 8-for-22 with 20+ points. Last night, the basket was an ocean. He did not matter if he had a hand in his face or if he was off-balance, the ball swished through. Nothing much Portland could do except just preventing the ball from getting in his hands. DeMarcus Cousins did not have a fantastic game by any stretch. He finished with 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting and had nine rebounds. So, a freak night by Gay, great defense by Sacramento and missed opportunities by Portland was what caused the Kings to win. If you are a Portland fan, you have to like those odds. The Kings essentially need one of their stars to have a career night and they have a shot at winning.
The Blazers got outworked on the glass as Reggie Evans and Cousins were vacuums. The Kings had 18 second chance points (6-for-14), while the Blazers had 15 (7-for-12). The Kings out-rebounded Portland 49-38. Every time Portland had an opportunity to make a bucket that would be momentum-shifting or to get back into the game, the ball rimmed out or the Blazers turned it over. Furthermore, the Blazers got wrecked by the FT line. The Kings went 31-for-35 from the line, while the Blazers went 17-for-19 from line. Sacramento got to the line nearly twice as often as the Blazers did. That is tough no matter what team you are.
LA finished the night with 22 points on 7-for-18 shooting, 1-for-3 from three, four rebounds and two blocks. Watch the three-point attempts and makes as this season goes on.
Lillard struggled offensively once again, but it was because of the suffocating defense by the Kings. Again, Sacramento made it their mission to take Damian out of the game. He was double-teamed, crowded, followed and continually chased off the three-point line. He finished with 20 points on 4-for-13 shooting, 4-for-8 from three with seven rebounds, two assists and one block. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Damian got aggressive and got open. What surprised me were the seven rebounds. That is a good rebounding number for Lillard and he was able to get a rebound while crowded by Kings players. Impressive.
Matthews had a good night from the field, but not from the three-point line. He finished with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting, 1-for-7 from three (ew) and had five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Chris Kaman, once again, was terrific. He finished with 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and had six rebounds and two blocks in just 21 minutes. He finished with a +10 on the night. Kaman continues to be the solid player and contributor off the bench. He is efficient and is just a wide body down low to clog up even more space. Still complaining about that pickup Blazer fans?
Steve Blake finally made some shots! He finished with six points on 2-for-7 shooting, 2-for-5 from three, but had five assists and one steal along with tough defense.
Well, Portland suffers its first loss of the season, but now returns home to face three very tough teams. First up, the Golden State Warriors. The last time Golden State played in Portland was that terrific overtime thriller at the end of the season that essentially sealed the fifth seed for Portland. It is obvious, but Portland’s defense has to be tight on the three-point line. Klay Thompson just signed a four-year extension and will be energized as well as Stephen Curry is always dangerous. It should be a heck of a game. Stay tuned!