The Sacramento Kings lost 98-93 to the Portland Trail Blazers last Saturday night, completing a home-and-home series sweep. Portland forward Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, marking another 20-point performance this season, as reported by AP News.
The Sacramento Kings struggled late despite a competitive effort, falling short in key moments. Coach Doug Christie told the Sacramento Bee, “I thought defensively we were better and we’re in the hunt,” while noting the need for stronger execution in critical situations. The Kings shot 8 of 27 from the field and 2 of 11 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. Dennis Schroder led the bench with 21 points and said, “We’ve got to figure out how we win games at the end of the game down the stretch.”
Shaedon Sharpe scored 23 points to help the Trail Blazers win, including a dunk over Russell Westbrook. The Kings played without Domantas Sabonis, who is out four to five weeks with a left knee injury, while rookie Maxime Raynaud recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds. Sacramento fell to 6-22, the worst record in the Western Conference, after losing nine of its last 10 games. The Kings will next host the Houston Rockets, who are 17-8 and previously defeated Sacramento 121-95 behind Alperen Sengun’s 28 points and 10 rebounds.
