Both the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers have lost each of their last three outings heading into Monday night’s showdown in Rip City.
Looking to end the skid, the purple and black will try to replicate this season’s earlier matchup − a 103-94 Kings victory.
- The last time these teams met, Rudy Gay exploded for a game- and season-high 40 points. No. 8 scored 13 points in the fourth quarter leading his team to the win.
- Last season, DeMarcus Cousins averaged a team-high 33 points against the Trail Blazers. In the team’s first matchup with Portland on Halloween, Big Cuz tallied 17 points, while adding nine rebounds.
- Portland is fresh off its worst shooting night of the season as the team made just 38 percent of their attempts on Saturday. Despite the poor shooting night, the Trail Blazers only lost by four, 102-98, to Memphis.
- Last season Portland claimed a 3-1 record in its series with Sacramento, but the Kings earned a big 123-119 win at home early in 2013, despite a then-career-high 41 points from Damian Lillard.
- Portland (30-11) is one of three NBA teams with 30 wins and ranks among the league's best in both scoring offense (103.2 points per game) and defense (97.0 points allowed).
Projected Starters
Broadcasts: TV – CSNCA
Comcast - 34 / 721
Dish - 4449 / 9519
Dish Hopper – 412-38
DirecTV - 698-1
AT&T - 768 / 1768
Radio – KHTK Sports 1140 AM
Rematch: Aldridge vs. Thompson
Fresh off a 23-point, 22-rebound outing versus the Clippers, Jason Thompson will have to be on point again against LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers frontcourt.
The Portland star forward tallied a team-high 22 points on Halloween in Sacramento, working mostly against JT. The Kings will be counting on No. 34 to slow down the opposition, but also step up on offense with the possibility of a few key players missing.
“I thought he did a great job on the defense and fighting Blake Griffin most of the night,” Head Coach Tyrone Corbin said of Thompson after Saturday’s game. “He came out with great numbers and I thought that he did some great things for us on defense and on offense. He set some screens and was able to hit a couple of shots for us. He shot with a lot of confidence and really found his rhythm.”
Tweets of the Day
Injury Report:
Kings:
Trail Blazers: