The Portland Trail Blazers kept the preseason rolling Tuesday night, brushing aside the Sacramento Kings 110-98 and moving to 3-0 with one game left before the results start to count.
Portland’s edge showed up early and often. The Blazers outscored Sacramento by double digits in three of the four quarters, and they got contributions from all 15 players who saw the floor. Deni Avdija led the way with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists while shooting 9-for-13 from the field and committing just one turnover.
Damian Lillard added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists without a turnover, and his plus/minus of +32 was the best mark in the game. Ja Morant turned in his strongest preseason outing so far with 14 points, two rebounds, six assists, no turnovers and one steal while going 4-for-6 from the floor and 6 of 9 at the line. Jrue Holiday still found 11 points, five rebounds and two assists despite a rough shooting night, while Toumani Camara posted 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal on efficient shooting.
Scoot Henderson’s night wasn’t as sharp as his first two preseason games. He finished with nine points and four assists, shooting 3-for-9 overall and 2-for-5 from deep. In the frontcourt, Donovan Clingan supplied four points, four rebounds, two assists and five blocked shots, and Robert Williams III chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.
Portland didn’t exactly light it up from outside. The Blazers shot 44.8 percent overall and just 25 percent from 3-point range, connecting on 11 of 44 attempts. They also lost the battle on the offensive glass, giving up 17 offensive rebounds while collecting only nine of their own, and they committed 14 turnovers to Sacramento’s 12.
Even with the win, the night wasn’t spotless. Outside of the names at the top of the box score, Portland didn’t get much production, and everyone other than Vit Krejci finished in the negative in plus/minus.
That kind of slippage is unlikely to sit well with head coach Micah Nori after his frustration with allowing over 30 extra possessions against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 7.
Tuesday’s 29 extra chances - from offensive rebounds and turnovers combined - came against a Kings group missing Zach Lavine, Domantas Sabonis, Darius Acuff Jr., De'Andre Hunter, Malik Monk and Ben Simmons, with plenty of fringe roster and rotation players in the mix.
Still, Portland handled the interior. The Blazers piled up a 54-22 advantage in the paint, and Sacramento’s 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 34.2 percent mark from 3-point range kept the Kings from ever truly threatening.
Seven Kings finished in double figures, with Jonathan Mogbo leading the way at 15 points.
Portland wraps up the preseason on the road against the Warriors on Oct. 16.
In Other News...
Scoot Henderson Is Making Portland's Extension Decision Much Tougher
Joe Cronin has a rookie extension decision hanging over his head with the regular season closing in, and Scoot Henderson has done his part to make the choice less straightforward. ESPNs Bobby Marks floated a three-year, $51.8 million deal as a possible framework, a number that reflects how much the young point guards recent play has shifted the conversation in Portland. After a rocky start to his NBA career, Henderson has helped himself with strong showings in playoff and preseason action, giving the front office a fresher look at what he can be when the game slows down.
The Blazers still have reasons to pause. Henderson has dealt with the kind of inconsistency that makes long-term planning tricky, and Portlands backcourt is crowded enough to keep every rotation discussion open. Even so, his improved shooting, his activity on defense and the reputation he has built for his work ethic all point in the same direction: the organization has a real basketball case for betting on him now, even if the final call is far from simple. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Preseason Win Put Two Young Names In Focus
The Trail Blazers opened the preseason at 2-0, and one of the clearest takeaways from their latest win was how much cleaner the offense looked from the perimeter. Portland shot 47.1 percent from three-point range against the London Lions, with Scoot Henderson drawing attention for his improved touch by going 4 of 5 from deep, a promising sign for a guard the Blazers hope will keep expanding his game.
Yang Hansen also got a meaningful look, and he made it count. The big man played significant minutes, moved the ball well and finished efficiently enough to earn positive remarks from head coach Micah Nori, adding another encouraging note to a preseason that has started by putting a pair of young names firmly in focus. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Rotation Taking Shape As Two Key Fits Come Into Focus
The Trail Blazers head into a two-game preseason road trip against the Kings with a little early momentum and a clearer sense of what their rotation can look like. Portland is off to a 2-0 start in the preseason, and the focus now is less on the scoreboard than on continuing to sort out how the pieces fit as the regular season opener against the Suns gets closer.
Micah Nori has spent the early stretch evaluating how key players are settling into their roles, with Ja Morant and Deni Avdija among the names drawing the most attention. The Blazers like where the group is trending, and the coming road tests should offer another look at how close the team is to having its core patterns in place before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]