Blazers overthrow Kings, 102-90

The Portland Trail Blazers exacted their revenge on the Sacramento Kings, winning the next-day rematch 102-90.

First Quarter

The Blazers’ big men got Portland off to a strong start.

Jusuf Nurkic scored six of the first nine, including one from a chase-down block and one from hustling for an offensive rebound. Noah Vonleh added four more points on 2-2 shooting.

For the Kings, backcourt play kept the score within one at the end of 12 minutes. George Hill hit both of his three-point attempts as De’Aaron Fox smoothly finished two midrange jumpers.

Second Quarter

Terry Stotts opened the second quarter with his new three-guard lineup. Shabazz Napier scored seven points in his eight minutes, while Dame and CJ tacked on eight and ten points, respectively.

Nurk maintained his domination down low, finishing the half with ten points, five boards, and two blocks.

But the star of the second quarter was Pat Connaughton. He recorded a quick steal and block that led to transition buckets. Pat took just one shot, a three-pointer, and knocked it down. Behind his stellar defense, Connaughton was a team-high +19 at half.

The Blazers entered halftime with a 12-point lead, 53-41.

Third Quarter

Portland kicked off the second half on a 9-0 run, holding Sacramento scoreless until the 8:38 mark.

In a back-and-forth quarter, the highlight came when words were exchanged between Nurkic and Garrett Temple. Temple ran through a screen elbow-first, which Jusuf didn’t appreciate. Nurk retaliated with a shove, earning a technical foul (which George Hill was spared from).

Lillard took over near the end of the third quarter, scoring nine points straight and raising the lead above 20. The quarter ended with Portland up 80-63.

Fourth Quarter

The final quarter followed the same theme as the previous two. Portland did what was needed to hold on to their double-digit lead, taking it down 102-90.

Napier and Meyers Leonard both knocked down difficult shots from outside to boost the bench’s crucial 35 points. It should also be noted that Meyers had by far his best game of the year with 11 points and seven boards. He looked cool, calm, and collected.

Nurkic didn’t enter the fourth quarter until 4:10 to go, but given the game’s situation, no controversy will result from his benching down the line. He was far from the only Blazers starter getting rest, and the Blazers’ backup big men were more than holding their own.

Three Takeaways

1) Moe’s minutes: Maurice Harkless played just 19 minutes tonight, none of which came in the second quarter.

Even more concerning is what he did in those 19 minutes. Harkless failed to attempt a shot, grabbed just one rebound, and turned the ball over three times. In a game predominantly led by double-digits, he finished with an even plus/minus.

Tonight also marked Moe’s lowest minute total of the season. With Terry Stotts expanding his rotation past the usual eight or nine players, Harkless may continue to lose time to the bench unit.

2) Teamwork makes the dream work: Portland’s teamwork was embodied by a third quarter play in front of the home team bench. Maurice Harkless dove out of bounds to save a loose ball and the entire bench jumped up to get him back on his feet. Connaughton yanked Moe up, who sprinted down the court to help on offense.

Besides this play, the team recorded 19 assists tonight, compared to 13 from Friday’s game. Dame had a game-high six assists, leading to a +20 plus/minus on the night.

Next: Revisit preview for this game

3) Vary those rotations: Terry Stotts really enjoys the three-guard lineup of Lillard, McCollum, and Napier. All three scored at least 11 points and shot a combined 22 for 40 from the field.

The trio of Leonard, Vonleh, and Ed Davis all played at least 20 minutes and all grabbed six boards or more. Sacramento scored just 38 points in the paint, compared to 44 from Friday night.

Next game

The Portland Trail Blazers get a rematch with the Memphis Grizzlies on Mon. Nov. 20 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Memphis will be without Mike Conley, who is suffering from a sore Achilles.