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Portland battled all night before finally pulling away late picking up their first win of the season in Sacramento. The Blazers still looked shaky at times, but the Kings took it to another level, making occasional runs before falling behind by around 10 points again. Eventually the wheels came off for Sacramento in the fourth, and Lillard and McCollum dominated late to blow it open.
A few quick thoughts from an important win:
- Anferee cuts loose. Simons shot 6-9 for 15 points, looking ready to be an offensive contributor off the bench.
- Kings had no answer for Hassan. Whiteside played to his strengths, grabbing rebounds, dunking lobs, and adding a few blocks inside.
- Let’s not talk about the defense. It looked a bit better in the second half, but, well, they were playing the Kings. Speaking of which...
- Nothing has changed for the Kings. They were supposed to be ready to take it to the next level, but this is the second straight game where they’ve been blown out in the second half.
Portland heads to Dallas next, for a Sunday tilt against the Mavs.
Bonus! For tonight only, a rare throwback to the old recap days: The best of the Gameday Thread! Thanks to the crew for hanging out on a Friday night when they had to watch the Kings.