5 must-win games for the Portland Trail Blazers playoff push
By Rowan Kent
![Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers - Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers - Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/3958255416f566915197aa3f82cf62cbdbd3549a1bf27872469ee356d4534ef6.jpg)
Must-Win #4: March 31 vs. Sacramento Kings
The Kings have been a difficult out all season. Their league-record offense has flummoxed teams all year, and that includes the Blazers.
Portland was able to beat them in the inaugural game of the season, but when the teams met after the all-star break, the Kings hung 133 points on Portland’s porous defense. If the Blazers want any chance of winning, they’ll either need to play their best defensive game of the year or outrace the best offense in the NBA.
Or, as a third option, they can use the NBA’s scheduling quirks to their advantage. They’ll play the Kings again in the second-to-last week of the season, with both games at home. Depending on how the seeds have shaken out, the Kings may have little to play for, especially on the road for two games in a row.
That could give the Blazers a stunning chance to play against Sacramento’s backups in the second game of the homestand. If so, Portland could get an easy win that makes their supposedly difficult closing schedule that much less fearsome.