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The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard (19 points, 10 assists), Wesley Matthews (19 points, 3 assists) and LaMarcus Aldridge (22 points, 8 rebounds). Mo Williams missed the game, likely just for rest.
Check out video of Dorrell Wright's game-winning three-pointer right here.
First Half: From the opening tip, it was clear the Blazers had more talent on the court than the Kings. In fact, Portland quickly jumped ahead behind their hot shooting. Unfortunately, they started to look lazy. Sloppy passing, back court turnovers, the kinds of things you can see from the Blazers on any given night that they're not fully engaged. Sacramento made their inevitable comeback to wake the Blazers up, and it did. Sort of. The Blazers pulled ahead by 7 at the end of one, and led by as many as 15 in the second quarter. But they gave up 5 points in less than 3 seconds to keep things a little closer.
Portland 56, Sacramento 46
Second Half: More lackadaisical play by the Blazers, leading to a quick comeback by the Kings. Soon the lead was down to 4 as DeMarcus Cousins scored at will. This woke up the Blazers again, a little bit, as they slowly pushed the lead back to 10 when not turning the ball over. Sacramento kept the game within 8 at the end of the third. Against the Blazer bench at the start of the fourth, Sacramento scored 6 points in 75 seconds to make it a 2 point game, amid the groans of a crowd clearly aware that the Blazers should be pulling away by that point. The Blazer starters were back in by the 9 minute mark. That didn't stop the Kings from tying the game with an open three. Portland took a 5 point lead, and promptly gave it up at the 3 minute mark.
An Aldridge tip-slam gave the Blazers the lead again, but his old friend Travis Outlaw tied it up with a familiar jumper. Cousins followed it up with a jumper to take the lead with 1:30 left. Lopez was fouled with 42 seconds left, and tied it at the line. Out of a timeout, the Kings went to Cousins, who missed a layup. At the other end, Lillard gave away the ball, giving the Kings a fast break leading to free throws and a 2 point lead with 14 seconds left. Damian drove the lane, and suddenly tossed it outside... to Dorell Wright for three. Swish. The Blazers took a 1 point lead with 7 seconds left, but Sacramento got one last chance. Doink. And the Blazers get a win they barely deserved.
What's next:
Another day off for the Blazers, who have a very cushy stretch schedule. They play Friday night in Utah, their last regular season road game.
Stay tuned for more coverage tonight from Dave and Ben. If you dare.
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