{"id":26656,"date":"2019-10-26T09:56:39","date_gmt":"2019-10-26T13:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=26656"},"modified":"2019-10-26T09:56:39","modified_gmt":"2019-10-26T13:56:39","slug":"portland-trail-blazers-beat-sacramento-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2019\/10\/26\/portland-trail-blazers-beat-sacramento-kings\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland Trail Blazers Beat Sacramento Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> picked up their first win of the season in a win over the Sacramento Kings<\/a>. The Trail Blazers were able to take advantage of Marvin Bagley<\/a><\/strong> being out after it was announced he would miss time with a broken thumb. After being tied 57-57 at the half, Portland used a 37-27 edge in the third quarter to coast to a win.<\/p>\n

Portland Trail Blazers Spoil Sacramento Kings’ Home-Opener<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Complete Team Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On Wednesday’s loss<\/a> to the Denver Nuggets<\/a>, the bench struggled to score. Friday Night, that was not the case. Anfernee Simons<\/a><\/strong> was the most notable player off the bench.<\/p>\n

The second-year guard scored 15 points while going 6\/9 shooting and 3\/6 from three. He showed a quick shot release and confidence that had the team so excited coming into this season.<\/p>\n

Not to be overlooked however is Kent Bazemore<\/a><\/strong>. Bazemore didn’t shoot well on Wednesday, but in this one he went 4\/7, scoring nine points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. It’s clear after two games that Bazemore is going to do a lot of the dirty work this team needs.<\/p>\n

The Starting Unit<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Damian Lillard<\/a><\/strong> was the star of the game. However, Hassan Whiteside<\/a><\/strong> has probably been the biggest story out of the first two games.<\/p>\n

Coming off of a game where he put up 16 points and 19 rebounds, Whiteside went for 22 points and nine rebounds. Also, he showed a good ability to pass out of the high-post, which is something that can open up the offense.<\/p>\n

Whiteside also sparked the good third quarter. 16 of his 22 points came in the third quarter. He was also running the floor and has a thunderous putback dunk that energized everyone.<\/p>\n

Lillard’s backcourt-mate CJ McCollum<\/a><\/strong> didn’t have his best game. However, he was able to get things going into the second half. Especially during the strong third quarter. Overall McCollum finished with 19 points on 8\/18 shooting.<\/p>\n

Defensive Issues Exist<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Denver, of course, went 18\/32 from three in the season-opener against Portland. This game was better in that aspect, as the Kings only went 15\/37 from distance. However, this team still has plenty to figure out on defense.<\/p>\n

De’Aaron Fox<\/a><\/strong> was able to do a lot of damage. Fox finished with 28 points on 7\/18 shooting and he was able to reach the line a bunch, going 11\/14.<\/p>\n

The backcourt-mate of Fox, Buddy Hield<\/a><\/strong>, finished with 21 points and he was 4\/11 from three.<\/p>\n

Overall, the defense was better in the second half, which is the reason Portland was able to separate themselves.<\/p>\n

The defense was better in this one. However, there were still plenty of defensive lapses. If Portland wants to start racking up wins in a loaded Western Conference, the defense is going to have to improve.<\/p>\n

The only real saving grace right now is that interior defense has been excellent through two games.<\/p>\n

Trail Blazers Beat Kings: Up Next:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Portland will continue this four-game road trip with a Sunday matchup against the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>