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Portland Trail Blazers: Takeaways vs Sacramento Kings (10/20/21)

By Andy Quach

Damian Lillard, Davion Mitchell, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Damian Lillard, Davion Mitchell, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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The Portland Trail Blazers tipped off their 2021-2022 NBA season on Wednesday, October 20th against the Sacramento Kings.

Portland struggled on defense early, allowing the Kings to build a double digit lead that persisted for most of the game. The Blazers eventually stormed back behind a 10-0 run late in the fourth quarter led by CJ McCollum‘s brilliance to pull the lead within three points.

The gap proved too much for Portland to overcome in the end, though, as the Blazers drop the game 121-124.

Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings
Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

Takeaways from Portland Trail Blazers 2021-2022 NBA season opener against the Sacramento Kings

Damian Lillard struggled to score, but was active as a facilitator, finishing with 20 points on 8-24 shooting and 11 assists.

CJ McCollum led the Blazers in scoring with 34 points on a scorching 58 percent from the floor, including six 3-pointers on 11 attempts.

Harrison Barnes torched Portland on pick-and-pops and led all scorers with 36 points and a ridiculous eight triples, most of which were wide open.

Fast Break Notes:

  • Nassir Little had a stretch where he grabbed what seemed like 10 boards in 2 minutes and winded up creating a second opportunity for himself to hit an open corner three. It’s clear that this young man has the passion and desire to be a regular contributor this season.
  • Anfernee Simons regularly used his handle and got into the paint to either create for himself or for his teammates. It’s encouraging to see that this wasn’t just a preseason surprise, but will hopefully be a new sustained development in his game.
  • Chauncey Billups spoke of unlocking Jusuf Nurkic this year and he looks on track to do just that. The Bosnian Beast finished with 20 points and 11 boards and even hit from deep.
  • Cody Zeller is proving to be a great, underrated addition for Portland, providing a level of toughness and professionalism that was sorely lacking on the Blazers bench in seasons past. If Tony Snell can do the same once he returns, Portland will have a great reserve unit this year.
  • CJ McCollum looked healthy, aggressive, and absolutely phenomenal.