Final: Blazers Oust the Kings, 109-91

The Blazers were led by a 28 point, 12 rebound, 4 assist night by LaMarcus Aldridge. JJ Hickson had his "oh, did I get a double-double again?" night with 17 points and 14 boards, joined by Damian Lillard (17 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds). Nicolas Batum had a solid night with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. And Will Barton had a breakout night, scoring 14 points and providing a few nice plays on defense.

First Quarter: The two teams played back and forth early, including a Batum four-point play. The Blazers' lead reached 5, but they simply could not guard the offensive juggernaut known as the Sacramento Kings. They got any shot they wanted, plus swished a few hard ones. Will Barton had a few nice moments though, and Aldridge's 10 & 5 helped the Blazers lead by 5 again as the horn sounded.

Chicago used to be in the West though! In the 70s I think.
by Mortimer

No, I'm pretty positive it's always been in Illinois
by The Arkitect

[It was a pretty boring First Quarter]

Second Quarter: Sacramento swished a hard three, then a jumper to eliminate the lead in 45 seconds. They played to a standstill, until fringe NBA player and new Blazer-killer Travis Outlaw entered the game. He quickly walked by two standing Blazers to tip in a missed shot. He was eventually double-teamed by the Blazer D. But soon, he forgot what team he was playing for, inbounding the ball directly to Batum. The mere thought that Outlaw was a Blazer again brought the whole team to life. Before long, Hickson and Lillard combined for four huge dunks, and the Blazers surged into a double-digit lead. Barton's fine play continued, as he reached double-digits in scoring before halftime. Speaking of which, Sacramento left a little too much time on the clock at the end of the quarter, and Batum made them pay, swishing a three at the buzzer for a long-overdue 18 point Blazer lead.

This is what I get for talking trash about Lillard's explosiveness. Two big time dunks.
by BRoyInThe4th

Third Quarter: The Kings remembered who they were playing, and hit two straight three's right out of the gate. In response, the Blazers' defense was on Sacramento like Mortimer on a corn dog. Aldridge and Lillard melted down the Kings' D, then Lillard swished a three. When the Kings took a timeout, they were staring at a 23 point deficit. The Blazers beat back every Sacramento run, taking advantage of their defense to lead by 24 after three, nearly reaching the vaunted 100 points.

Can we trade for Jason Thompson? I’m weirdly intrigued by his inability to close his mouth.
by CoolRam

Fourth Quarter: The Blazer deep bench poured into the game, and Barton quickly established a new career-high in scoring with his 14th point. However, Sacramento wasted no time taking advantage of the rooks, destroying them for 5 minutes before the starters returned, still leading by 17. The Kings had found their groove though, quickly cutting a once-26-point lead to 13, swishing jumpers and evoking a groan from the frustrated Rose Garden crowd. However, Lillard swished another three, and the Kings eventually started missing, and everyone relaxed and enjoyed a nice Blazer win.

Blazers Smoke The Kings
Blazers Claim Kings Crown
Kings Crown Resized To Fit Blazers
Blazer Rebels Oust Kings
Blazers Storm The Castle, Dethrone Kings
Portland Blazes Trail To Castle And Beheads The Kings
Kings Get Blazed, Drown In Moat
Kings Lose Blazers Win!

???... thats why I'm not a sports writer I guess.

by cavejunctionblazer

Box score | Portland Trail Blazers tickets via TiqIQ

Stay tuned for Dave's analysis and Ben's Media Row Report. The next game is Friday night, in LA against the healthy somewhat-surging Lakers.. -- Tim