The Portland Trail Blazers had to earn this one, but they walked out of Sacramento still perfect.
Portland beat the Kings 128-120 to grab its first road win of the season and move to 2-0, surviving a game that got messy early and turned into a test of composure, depth, and shot-making.
Sacramento made life uncomfortable right away. The Blazers got hit with early foul trouble, and Donovan Clingan was forced out just 1:58 into the game. With Portland in the bonus and scrambling to settle in, the Kings built a lead that swelled to 12 points in the first quarter.
Coach Micah Nori was clear about what went sideways. “We lost our composure a little bit, started worrying about the refs, myself included,” Coach Micah Nori said postgame.
Portland steadied itself in the second quarter, and Sidy Cissoko was a big reason why. He scored 10 of his career-high 15 first-half points in the period, helping trim the deficit so the Blazers went into halftime down only five.
Then came the decisive burst.
Out of the break, Portland looked a lot more like the team from its season opener. The Blazers exploded for 44 points in the third quarter, hit 10 threes in the frame, and took control of the game by outscoring Sacramento 44-26. Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija combined for 22 points in the quarter, and Portland carried a 13-point lead into the fourth.
Sacramento still had one last push. Domantas Sabonis and Darius Acuff Jr. led a strong fourth-quarter effort that made Portland sweat until the end, but the Blazers never gave the lead back.
It wasn’t clean basketball, but Portland found a way to win anyway. That started with the bench, which played a huge role in keeping the game manageable while the starters dealt with early trouble. Robert Williams and Cissoko provided the lift, and the Blazers’ reserves outscored their California counterparts 44-22.
That depth showed up all over the box score. Avdija finished with 26 points, Camara had 19 and knocked down five three-pointers, and Morant added 12 points and seven assists. Damian Lillard chipped in 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, but Portland didn’t need him to carry everything the way he often had to earlier in his career.
Seven Blazers scored in double figures, and Nori liked what that said about his group. “In this league, you have to have depth all the way through, and to get seven guys in double figures on a night where we didn't really shoot it well from three (was good),” Nori said postgame, "The depth is why I think that we're an awful good ball club."
Portland will try to keep its unbeaten start going on October 27, when it visits Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. PT.
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Blazers Showed Something In Sacramento Fans Have Been Waiting For
The early-season win in Sacramento offered a clean snapshot of why the Trail Blazers have looked different through two games. Portland fell behind in the first half, then used a balanced attack to flip the game and beat the Kings 128-120 on the road, with seven players reaching double figures. For a team that has spent recent seasons searching for a more reliable collective identity, the depth on display was hard to miss.
Micah Noris group also showed a poise in the closing stretches that fans have been waiting to see more often. Rather than relying on one hot hand, Portland kept finding answers from different spots on the floor and held up when the game tightened, turning an early hole into a statement road win. It is still early, but the Blazers have at least given themselves a foundation built on balance and timely execution. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Built A Dangerous Backcourt But One Concern Still Looms
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There is real intrigue here because the talent level is obvious enough to make Portland a fringe playoff contender in the eyes of sportsbooks, and some around the league believe a postseason push is a realistic target for 2026-27. Still, the Blazers are carrying the same question that follows every heavily remade roster: whether the chemistry comes together quickly enough, and whether the health of the key pieces holds long enough for all that depth and defensive potential to matter. [Read more 🡒]