Blazers put up season-best point total, top Kings

Field Level Media|published: Wed 27th December, 24:41 2023

Dec 26, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) shoots a jump shot against Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter (9) during the first half at Moda Center. credits: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Anfernee Simons scored 29 points and rookie reserve Duop Reath established career highs of 25 points and nine rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers notch a 130-113 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.

Malcolm Brogdon had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds as Portland won for just the second time in 11 games. Jabari Walker added 17 points off the bench and rookie backup Scoot Henderson had 17 points and a career-best 11 assists for the Trail Blazers.

De'Aaron Fox matched his season high of 43 points and made a career-best seven 3-pointers for the Kings. Domantas Sabonis scored a season-best 34 points and added 12 rebounds and five assists for Sacramento, which lost its second straight game and fell for the third time in four contests.

Jerami Grant added 13 points for Portland, which played without Deandre Ayton (knee) and Shaedon Sharpe (adductor). The Trail Blazers had a commanding 65-17 edge in bench points while racking up a season-high point total.

Portland shot 50 percent from the field, including 16 of 40 (40 percent) from 3-point range.

Sacramento made 48.4 percent of its shots and was 10 of 42 (23.8 percent) from behind the arc. Keegan Murray, who made a career-best 12 3-pointers in a game earlier this month, was 1 of 7 from 3-point range while scoring just five points.

Portland led by 15 early in the fourth quarter, but Sabonis scored on the inside and Fox added a 3-pointer as the Kings moved within 115-105 with 8:33 to play.

The Trail Blazers answered with a 12-2 run. Grant's dunk made it a 20-point margin with 4:21 left, and Portland closed it out.

Portland used a 21-4 surge in the second quarter to take a 57-42 lead on Simons' basket with 5:51 left in the half.

The Trail Blazers later held a 19-point advantage before the Kings closed with a 14-2 burst to trail 67-60 at the break.

Fox scored 21 in the half for Sacramento while Sabonis had 20, with both players making 9 of 11 shots. Simons had 14 before intermission for Portland.

Fox (14) and Sabonis (10) combined for 24 of the Kings' 35 third-quarter points, but the Trail Blazers outscored Sacramento by two and led 104-95 entering the final stanza.

—Field Level Media

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