Sacramento’s defense came back down to Earth in the second night of the Kings’ home-and-home with Portland. After picking up their 4th win the night before, the Kings stuck around with the Trail Blazers for the first quarter and a half until Portland’s offense exploded and they eventually won 102-90.
Sacramento shot 38 percent, only 4 percent less than the night before, but Portland jumped from just 37 percent on Friday to 54 percent last night. This surge in offense was fueled by the dynamic backcourt of Damian Lillard (22 points) and CJ McCollum (25 points).
The defensive intensity didn’t falter much from last night, but the inability to score and rebound (outrebounded 44-35) allowed for Portland to get down the court quicker and get more open shots. Sacramento missed 55 shots and had just nine offensive rebounds.
Willie Cauley-Stein had another strong showing with 18 points and nine rebounds. His play against Portland the last two nights is exactly what Sacramento needs. If he can consistently turn in 15 points and 10 rebounds, the Kings’ future is in a good place.
Zach Randolph added 17 points and five rebounds, while Frank Mason III scored 13 off the bench. Sacramento falls to 4-12 with this loss and returns home on Monday to face off against the Denver Nuggets.
