Damian Lillard exploded for 50 points in three quarters as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Sacramento Kings on Friday 118-100.
This was the Kings first game after a hectic trade deadline that saw the team part ways with George Hill, Malachi Richardson, and Georgios Papagiannis. With incoming players Iman Shumpert, Joe Johnson, and Bruno Caboclo not playing, the team only suited 9 players.
The first quarter seemed to be an evenly matched affair as neither side were able to establish dominance. Lillard and Bogdan Bogdanovic lead each offense in scoring as the quarter ended 33-31 with Portland on top. The second quarter played out mostly the same way, until late on when Lillard really got into his rhythm. With 29 points at halftime, Portland led the Kings 62-52 into the break.
De’Aaron Fox and Zach Randolph provided a spark for the Kings in the second half. They were able to cut Portland’s lead to just one point. However, the Trail Blazers then went on a 17-0 run to end the third, with Lillard scoring all but two to give him 50 points. Sacramento struggled to defend Lillard all night, even switching guards to allow Garrett Temple a chance, but to no avail. With the game all but wrapped up for the Blazers, they were able to coast to a comfortable 118-100 win. Lillard didn’t play at all in the final quarter.
Willie Cauley-Stein finished as the top scorer for Sacramento with 19 points while Fox added 9 assists. Sacramento’s next game is Sunday against the Timberwolves.
