Portland held off Sacramento 124-123 in a tight preseason battle at Moda Center on Friday night. The narrow win evened the Trail Blazers’ record at 1-1 while dropping the Kings to 0-2.
Portland jumped to a 37-31 lead after the first quarter. Shaedon Sharpe scored seven points including free throws and a step-back jumper.
Zach LaVine paced Sacramento with eight points on two triples. Jrue Holiday added 10 points for the home side with a putback layup.
The Kings responded in the second quarter outscoring Portland 33-21 to trail 64-58 at halftime. DeMar DeRozan tallied six points including a fadeaway.
Jerami Grant contributed eight points with a tip-in and free throws. Sacramento’s Dennis Schroder dished three assists but committed two fouls.
Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle and Scoot Henderson sat out. The Kings managed without Doug McDermott, Terence Davis and Mitch Mascari for the same reason.
Portland regained control in the third quarter with a 37-27 advantage for a 95-91 edge. Sharpe added five points including a cutting layup.
Yang Hansen erupted for 16 points off the bench with two threes and a layup. LaVine extended his total to 19 points with a step-back triple.
The fourth quarter saw seven lead changes as both teams exchanged blows. Nique Clifford scored 15 points including a putback layup that tied it at 123-123 with seconds left.
Deni Avdija finished with 15 points and six rebounds for Portland. Dario Saric led Sacramento’s bench with 14 points on four triples.
Blake Wesley tallied 13 points including a cutting dunk that pushed the lead to six midway through the final frame. Sacramento’s Maxime Raynaud added two points but fouled out late.
Clifford’s free throws knotted the score at the buzzer but Portland sealed it with Raynaud’s turnover. The Blazers forced 17 turnovers converting them into 17 points.
Sacramento grabbed 38 rebounds led by Keegan Murray’s five. Portland dominated the paint with 62 points there.
Both squads shot under 50 percent from the field with Portland at 47.3 percent. Free throws proved crucial as the home team made 28 of 40 attempts.
