{"id":824389,"date":"2011-12-27T22:21:24","date_gmt":"2011-12-28T06:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cowbellkingdom.com\/?p=8149"},"modified":"2011-12-27T22:21:24","modified_gmt":"2011-12-28T06:21:24","slug":"road-reaction-blazers-101-kings-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/road-reaction-blazers-101-kings-79\/","title":{"rendered":"Road Reaction: Blazers 101, Kings 79"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Final: <\/strong>Portland Trailblazers 101, Sacramento Kings 79<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Recap<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Box Score<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Grades<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Marcus Thornton:<\/strong> Thornton had too many dribble-drive isolation possessions, and that was something he did last night, too.\u00a0 The difference?\u00a0 The rims were kinder in Sacramento.\u00a0 Thornton was only one of five shooting from beyond the arc this evening.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: D-<\/em><\/p>\n

John Salmons:\u00a0 <\/strong>Salmons was in foul trouble most of the night (he had 4 early on in the 3rd quarter) and just wasn’t able to get into a rhythm on both ends of the court.\u00a0 He was only able to attempt three shots on the offensive end in less than 18 minutes of action.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: F<\/em><\/p>\n

Tyreke Evans:<\/strong>\u00a0 Much like Thornton, too much isolation.\u00a0 And when Evans played off the ball, he didn’t move very well.\u00a0 Posted the worst plus\/minus for the Kings this evening at -21.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: D-<\/em><\/p>\n

DeMarcus Cousins:\u00a0 <\/strong>An up and down game for Cousins tonight.\u00a0 He looked good at times, showing what he’s capable of when working on the block.\u00a0 But he struggled with the outside shot and finished with 18 attempts and just seven makes.\u00a0 Foul trouble hurt him as well, but at least he was able to finish with another double-double.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: B-<\/em><\/p>\n

Chuck Hayes:<\/strong> With 11 rebounds, Hayes was effective on the glass.\u00a0 But like Salmons and Cousins, foul trouble killed him.\u00a0 Hayes also had difficulty handling LaMarcus Aldridge tonight, who was stellar for the Blazers, scoring 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: C<\/em><\/p>\n

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J.J. Hickson:<\/strong>\u00a0 In light of Cousins and Hayes’ play, Hickson played well.\u00a0 He picked his spots on offense, only shooting six times and making four attempts.\u00a0 But Jason Thompson played better and maybe deserved more minutes in the second half.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: C+<\/em><\/p>\n

Travis Outlaw:\u00a0 <\/strong>Offensively, Outlaw was ineffective for the Kings tonight.\u00a0 However in spots defensively, he filled in admirably for Salmons.\u00a0 While contesting shots, his length gave Portland’s shooters trouble.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: D-<\/em><\/p>\n

Jimmer Fredette:<\/strong>\u00a0 When Jimmer is out on the floor, he seems to think pass first, score second.\u00a0 And based on what we’ve seen of him in the first two nights, he and fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas might be the two best the Kings have at initiating the offense.\u00a0 But like yesterday, there were times when he was tentative to shoot.<\/p>\n

Final Grade:\u00a0 C-<\/em><\/p>\n

Jason Thompson: <\/strong>In limited minutes, Thompson put together a nice game.\u00a0 He only played 14 minutes, but managed to contribute 11 points on five of six shooting.\u00a0 I was surprised that it took until the fourth quarter for JT to get back in the game.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: B+<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah Thomas:<\/strong> Like Jimmer, Thomas seems to command the floor like a point guard should when in the game.\u00a0 During a possession sometime in the third quarter, he drove and kicked out a wraparound pass to Travis Outlaw, who was camped outside the three-point line.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the possession didn’t convert into points due to offensive apprehension by Jimmer and Outlaw.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: C<\/em><\/p>\n

– Jonathan Santiago<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Notes and Analysis<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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