The Sacramento Kings (16-25) drop their fourth straight tonight in Portland, losing to the Trail Blazers (31-11) by a final of 98-94. Rudy Gay led the way with 26 points and DeMarcus Cousins added a big 22-point, 19-rebound double-double before fouling out in the final period. But the Kings turned the ball over 23 times and stumbled down the stretch.
Join James Ham and Rui Thomas for the Road Reaction Postgame Show on Google+ after the game. The show can be watched on the video player embedded below. You can also join the discussion of tonight’s game by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.
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What to watch
1. Turnovers
In the Kings’ win versus the Trail Blazers on October 31, Sacramento limited their turnovers to 10. The players should know by now there’s a direct correlation to their success and the quality of ball control. DeMarcus Cousins, who leads the Kings with 4.3 turnovers per game, acknowledges this in the locker room.
2. Inside presence
Portland is without active, burly pivot Robin Lopez (hand), but veteran Chris Kaman has filled in nicely. The 32-year-old has produced 8.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per match in Lopez’s absence, and is even providing a little rim protection (1.4 blocks per game). Sacramento can’t sleep on Kaman, who averages 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in his career versus the Kings. For the road team, Jason Thompson, who recorded his first 20-20 game ever on Saturday, looks to keep the momentum going.
3. Scoring by any means
The Trail Blazers feature a suffocating defense, one which ranks second in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage (43.0) and first in opponent 3-point percentage (29.7). The Kings shot only 42 percent from the floor in their October win, but they made 31-of-35 free throws, so aggression is key.
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