Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Beno Udrih
- Tyreke Evans
- Donté Greene
- Jason Thompson
- DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves: Jermaine Taylor, Luther Head, Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, Omri Casspi, Darnell Jackson, Pooh Jeter.
Inactive: Francisco Garcia (calf strain/day-to-day), Hassan Whiteside.
Blazers
- Andre Miller
- Wesley Mathews
- Nicolas Batum
- LaMarcus Aldridge
- Dante Cunningham
Reserves: Rudy Fernandez, Patty Mills, Joel Przybilla, Luke Babbitt, Sean Marks, Armon Johnson, Marcus Camby.
Inactive: Brandon Roy (knees), Greg Oden (knee), Elliot Williams (knee).
First Quarter Recap
The Kings got off to a fast start, using quality defense and efficient scoring to take an early 10-2 lead. The game plan early was obvious, double team Aldridge every time down the floor and make one of his Portland teammates beat you. The Kings got a little bit loose around the mid-way point of the quarter, turning the ball over and missing shots. The Trailblazers took advantage, tracking down the Kings and taking their first lead of the game at 19-18. The Kings responded with incredibly balanced scoring, going on an 8-0 run to take a 26-19 lead. Six players scored for the Kings in the first, including a team leading seven points by Tyreke Evans as the Kings took a five point lead to the second.
Kings 26 Blazers 21
Leaders
Kings- Evans (7) Points; Thompson/Udrih (3) Rebounds; Thompson/Evans (3) Assists.
Blazers- Miller (9) Points; Przybilla (4) Rebounds; Batum (3) Assists.
Second Quarter Recap
The Blazers came on strong in the second, getting a nice lift from Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum. After turning the ball over three times in the first, the Kings gave it up four times in the first six minutes of the second. The Kings recovered from their mistakes by turning up their defensive intensity again and continuing their balanced scoring attack. Paced by a combined 21 points from the back-court combination of Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih, the Kings took a two point lead into the half.
Kings 48 Blazers 46
Leaders
Kings- Evans (11) Points; Casspi/Dalembert (5) Rebounds; Thompson/Evans (4) Assists.
Blazers- Batum (11) Points; Przybilla (7) Rebounds; Batum (3) Assists.
Team Kings Blazers
FG% 52.6% 48.8%
Rebounds 19 15
Assists/TO 12/9 13/7
Third Quarter Recap
The third quarter got a little chippy. Joel Przybilla and DeMarcus Cousins really started to get into one another, with Przybilla taking Cousins out of his game mentally. The Kings continued to struggle with turnovers and let their shooting percentage dip heavily in the quarter, but their stellar rebounding kept them afloat. After shooting 52.6% in the first half, the Kings shot a horrible 27.3% in the third and scored only 17 points. Although the Kings led by two at the half, the teams entered the fourth all tied up in a closely contested battle.
Kings 65 Blazers 65
Leaders
Kings- Evans/Udrih (13) Points; Dalembert (8) Rebounds; Evans (6) Assists.
Blazers- Batum (19) Points; Przybilla (8) Rebounds; Miller (4) Assists.
Fourth Quarter Recap
The Kings began the fourth very active, getting under the skin of the Blazers and taking an early but small five point lead on a huge Dalembert dunk. The Kings got big time three pointers by Casspi and Udrih to stretch their lead to 81-74 at the 5:45 mark of the fourth. The Blazers answered with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 81-81. LeMarcus Aldridge broke loose, going for 10 points in the quarter to pace the visitors, while Beno Udrih, the Kings’ most consistent offensive weapon, turned in 5 for the home team.
The game was tied at 83-83 with 2:35 left in the fourth. After a series of missed shots, the game was still tied at 83-83 with 48.5 seconds left. With :33 left in the game, Andre Miller hit a baseline jumper over Beno Udrih to give the Blazers a two point lead. The Kings answered with a pair of free throws by Carl Landry with 26.2 seconds left to tie the game at 85 apiece. A well-defended LeMarcus Aldridge missed a turn around baseline jumper, pushing the game to overtime.
Kings 85 Blazers 85
Leaders
Kings- Udrih (18) Points; Dalembert (12) Rebounds; Evans (7) Assists.
Blazers- Batum (22) Points; Przybilla (8) Rebounds; Fernandez/Miller (5) Assists.
Overtime Recap
Samuel Dalembert broke the ice with a nice eight foot jumper to start the extra frame. Portland took an 88-87 lead on a made free throw and a big basket by Aldridge. Tyreke Evans made one of two free throws to tie the game at 88-88, but Aldridge hit another shot to give Portland a two point advantage. Beno Udrih answered to again tie the game, but Andre Miller moved the Blazers ahead at 92 -90 with a mid-range jumper.
With 1:08 on the clock, down two, the Kings in-bounded the ball and Omri Casspi barely had a three pointer climb out, but seconds later the Kings got the ball back. After a missed lay-in by Evans and several missed tip-ins, the Kings went down by four on a series of free throws by Nicolas Batum with 7.6 seconds left. The Kings decided to go for two, but Donté Greene let a pass from Omri Casspi slip through his fingers and out of bounds to seal the win for Portland.
Kings Lose.
Kings 90 Blazers 94
Leaders
Kings- Udrih (20) Points; Dalembert (12) Rebounds; Evans (8) Assists.
Blazers- Batum (24) Points; Przybilla (11) Rebounds; Miller (6) Assists.
Team Kings Blazers
FG% 42.7% 43.2%
Rebounds 45 42
Assists/TO 22/19 25/13
Player of the Game: LeMarcus Aldridge. The Kings, and more specifically Jason Thompson, did an excellent job defending Aldridge for most of the night, whether one-on-one or with double teams. Unfortunately for the Kings, Aldridge was able to get it going late, scoring 10 of his 23 in the fourth quarter and another five in overtime. The big man out of the University of Texas is blossoming in his fifth season, posting up career highs in points (21.1) and rebounds (8.8).
The Difference Maker: Nicolas Batum and Andre Miller. These two guys kept the Blazers in the game until their big guy could get it going. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Batum, Miller and Aldridge combined for 26 of Portland’s 29 points. Batum finished with a line of 24 points on 9-16 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. Miller kicked in 20 points on 9-20 shooting with six rebounds and a team high six assists.
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