Kings-Trail Blazers Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Dec 08 2012 2:31AM

The Portland Trail Blazers are already eager to be back at home after a disappointing trip. Facing a winless road opponent is even more ideal.

The Trail Blazers begin a six-game homestand Saturday night when they try to drop the Sacramento Kings to 0-7 on the road.

Portland (8-11) went 2-5 on a trip that ended with Wednesday's 99-92 loss to Indiana. Rookie Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 23 points.

There was room for optimism since the defeat came on the heels of thrilling wins against Cleveland and Charlotte that both went past regulation. Lillard scored 24 points in each of those victories.

"I liked the way our guys finished the road trip, I liked the way we competed, got some of the young guys involved off the bench," coach Terry Stotts said. "So I thought there were things that were good but I don't think any of us were necessarily satisfied being 2-5. You wanted to get one or two more on the road."

Lillard, the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, continues to lead all rookies with 19.3 points per game. He's scored at least 20 in three straight games for the first time since he made a splash by doing so in his first three contests.

"Everything is going kind of smoother than I thought it would," Lillard said. "That's just what it is. I never really said I'm just going to come in and I don't know what's going to happen. I felt I was going to be productive, I just didn't know how productive."

Sacramento (6-12) comes to town enduring its worst road start since going 0-9 to begin 2007-08. The Kings have dropped six of their last seven at the Rose Garden.

Currently, though, they are on a bit of an upswing and can post their first three-game win streak of the season after beating 91-82 over Orlando on Friday. DeMarcus Cousins had 17 points and 14 rebounds while reserve guard Isaiah Thomas added 17 points.

Starting guard Tyreke Evans didn't play for the third time in four games with a sore right knee. Francisco Garcia made his first start of the season in place of Evans.

Evans, who totaled 13 points on 4 of 18 shooting in Sacramento's two losses at Portland last season, is questionable for Saturday's game. His absence could be critical since he could again face off against Lillard.

That matchup proved to be a mismatch the first time these teams met as Lillard outscored Evans 22-10 in a 103-86 road victory Nov. 13. Lillard also had nine assists compared to four for Evans.

Cousins, who has three double-doubles his last four games, missed that contest due to suspension.

Although the Kings successfully used a smaller lineup in the fourth quarter Friday, don't expect to see it against the Blazers.

"The lineup that Orlando used allowed me to do that rotation tonight," coach Keith Smart said. "They didn't look to post up their guards. In tomorrow's game, Portland will post up their twos and threes, so there may not be a situation like that."

It's unclear if Portland forward Nicolas Batum will be available after he sat out part of Friday's practice with a back strain suffered against the Pacers.

Cousins, Salmons help Kings beat Blazers 99-80

By JOEL FOWLKS
Posted Dec 09 2012 2:04AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The Sacramento Kings jumped over two hurdles in their win at Portland on Saturday night.

DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 12 rebounds, John Salmons added 19 points and 11 assists, and the Kings earned their first road win and first three-game winning streak of the season by beating the Trail Blazers 99-80.

"It feels good," Salmons said. "Especially coming off two home wins, to go on the road and get that third win. Hopefully, we can continue doing that."

Aaron Brooks had 14 points for the Kings, who had lost their first six away from Sleep Train Arena. Francisco Garcia and Jason Thompson added 12 each. All five starters finished in double figures as the Kings overcame a dismal second quarter and steadily pulled away, outscoring Portland by 19 points in the second half.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 10 rebounds and J. J. Hickson added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Wesley Matthews scored 14 points, but suffered a hip injury.

Matthews went to the locker room in the third quarter with what was called a left hip contusion. He returned but fell to the floor in the fourth and left the game limping. He said after the game he heard his hip flexor muscle pop when he went down and was in significant pain.

Nicolas Batum played for Portland despite dealing with a back strain, but he appeared to be in pain while scoring five points in 17 largely ineffective minutes.

Those injuries may leave the Blazers short-handed as they play the remainder of a five-game homestand. Portland may be forced to recall guard Will Barton and forward Victor Claver from the D-League's Idaho Stampede, where they had been sent on Friday.

Portland was back after a seven-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams. The Blazers went 2-5 on the trip, winning at Charlotte and Cleveland, both in overtime. They lost 99-92 at Indiana on Wednesday.

"This was definitely a tough night for us," said Aldridge, who was 5 of 14 from the floor. "We started off kind of sluggish, especially myself. I just felt like it was one of those nights where I couldn't find my legs."

The Kings were playing on a back-to-back after a 91-82 win Friday over Orlando and were kicking off a four-game road trip. The 0-6 start to the season was Sacramento's worst road start since going 0-9 on the road to begin the 2007-08 season.

Sacramento dominated despite missing Tyreke Evans, its second-leading scorer and leader in assists, for the fourth time in five games with a sore knee. Salmons was 3 for 4 on 3-pointers and helped lead Sacramento's run by making two of the Kings' four 3s to start the second half. Four minutes into the third quarter the Kings were up 10 and Portland never challenged as Batum and Mathews left the game for good.

"They came in and they were ready to play," said Portland guard Damian Lillard, who had 12 points. "We didn't have a lot of energy and they just outplayed us and beat us."

The Kings led by 12 in the first quarter as Portland committed nine turnovers. The tables turned in the second quarter. Kings scored just 13 points and went through a stretch where they missed 14 of 15 field-goal attempts, allowing the Blazers to pull to 39-38. Thompson's layup broke the dry spell for Sacramento, which led 43-41 at the break.

Former Blazer Travis Outlaw had 11 points for the Kings, all in the second half. Outlaw was averaging just 3.8 points entering the game, but was a key contributor as coach Keith Smart looked down his bench seeking a spark at halftime.

"I was just excited for the opportunity," Outlaw said. "To get to go out there, showcase, do what I can and hopefully I can buy myself more minutes."

NOTES: Lillard was named Western Conference Rookie of the month for November. Lillard tied an NBA record Saturday by becoming the second player to make a 3-pointer in each of his first 20 games. He tied former Blazer Rudy Fernandez, who did it in 2008. ... The Blazers won the first meeting between the teams this season 103-86 at Sacramento. ... Matthews' consecutive games streak appears to be in jeopardy. He has played in 250 straight games, the second longest streak in the NBA to Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (332).

Notebook: Kings 99, Blazers 80

Kerry Eggers, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 09, 2012 1:42 AM - Updated Sun Dec 09, 2012 1:42 AM

THE FACTS: Sacramento broke open a tight game early in the third quarter and never looked back en route to a 99-80 victory over Portland Saturday night at the Rose Garden. DeMarcus Cousins collected 19 points and 12 rebounds and John Salmons contributed season highs in points (19) and assists (11) for the Kings (7-12), who won their third straight game and avenged a 93-76 setback to the Trail Blazers Nov. 23 at Sacramento. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 10 rebounds and J.J. Hickson added 14 points and 15 boards for Portland (8-12), which was beginning a six-game homestand following a seven-game road trip.

QUOTABLE: "Coming off of two home wins, to go on the road and get that third win -- it feels good. Hopefully we can continue doing it."

-- John Salmons

THE STAT: Portland committed 19 turnovers -- nine in the first quarter -- that led to the Kings scoring a whopping 30 points.

TURNING POINT: Sacramento started the third quarter on a 14-6 run that increased a 43-41 halftime lead to 57-47. The margin was 12 at 77-65 after three quarters, and the Blazers never cut the deficit inside single digits the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "Sacramento played harder and better than we did. We were out of sorts offensively all night, whether turnovers or finishing at the rim or spacing. It was just a rough night at both ends."

-- Portland coach Terry Stotts

HOT: Former Blazers' player Travis Outlaw had scored only 19 points in five games for Sacramento. The veteran small forward entered the game in the third quarter and matched a season-high with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 17 minutes.

NOT: Batum went 1-for-5 from the field. It was the 10th straight game Portland's starting small forward has failed to shoot 50 percent from the field. He is 33-for-100 over that stretch.

GOOD MOVE: The Kings pounded the ball inside to Cousins and drove on the middle often with their perimeter players. They had a huge edge in points in the paint (36-22) and second-chance points (25-10).

BAD MOVE: Nicolas Batum bravely tried to play through a back injury, but re-injured it on a drive to the basket in the third quarter and departed with five points and two rebounds in 17 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "We hope they're OK. We don't need those two guys out for any stretch of time. We don't want there to be anything serious wrong with them."

-- LaMarcus Aldridge on injuries to teammates Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews

NOTABLE: The victory was only Sacramento's 18th in 94 visits to Portland dating to 1970 when the Kings were in Kansas City.

UP NEXT: For the Kings, Monday @ Dallas, Wednesday @ Milwaukee, Friday @ Oklahoma City. For the Trail Blazers, Monday vs. Toronto, Thursday vs. San Antonio, Sunday vs. New Orleans.

• Kings: Honeycutt
• Trail Blazers: Barton, Claver, Williams

• Kings: --
• Trail Blazers: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #50 Olandis Poole, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 19454
• Duration: 2:05