Domantas Sabonis had team highs of 24 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Sacramento Kings to a season-opening 122-115 home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers as the 2022-23 Kings replay got underway.
Fouls turned out to be the difference. Portland outshot Sacramento 51.0% to 47.0% from the field. And though the total foul count was close (24 to 20), the Kings went 22-for-25 from the line compared to the Trail Blazers’ 8-for-11.
Furthermore, foul trouble cost Portland some of its’ stars playing time. Damian Lillard had a team-high 23 points but played only 27 minutes and fouled out in the final minute. Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and 14 rebounds but was only on the floor for 29 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox added 20 points for the Kings, who had six players score in double-figures. Trey Lyles had 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. After going 0-for-13 on three-pointers in the first half, the Kings went 6-for-16 in the second half.
2022-23 Sacramento Kings Replay Home Page
There were seven lead changes in the first quarter. Justise Winslow gave the Trail Blazers what would turn out to be their largest lead of the game at 17-10. But the Kings regained the lead at 21-19, and held a 29-26 lead after the first quarter.
The teams again traded leads for a while in the second quarter. The Kings broke a 39-39 tie by scoring six straight points, and they never trailed again. They took their first double-digit lead at 55-45 on a Trey Lyles basket, and took a 55-48 lead into halftime.
Domantas Sabonis capped of an 8-0 run that gave the Kings a 67-55 lead with nine minutes to go in the third quarter. An 8-1 Portland run that included three straight baskets by Shaedon Sharpe got it back down to give at 68-63. Sacramento was able to increase the lead back up to double-digits and went into the final quarter with an 89-78 edge.
The Trail Blazers got no closer than six in the final quarter. Sacramento’s biggest lead was 16 points and it came at 109-93 with five minutes left after an Fox basket. Portland whittled away at the lead down the stretch but got no closer than the final seven-point margin.
This game was played with Bank Shot Basketball.
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