Trail Blazers Continue Impressive Start With 120-107 Victory Over Kings

The Portland Trail Blazers have been phenomenal so far this season, and that continued on Friday night with a 120-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Portland is now 9-3 on the season, putting together one of its best starts in recent history.

After picking up two victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the week, the Trail Blazers carried that momentum into Sacramento and earned another convincing win.

Deni Avdija was the star of the show, finishing with 34 points to lead Portland. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard chipped in 29 points of his own as he continues to turn back the clock and look like a star following his return from an Achilles injury that kept him sidelined for more than 500 days.

Lillard has been outstanding since returning to the floor, and his ability to provide consistent offensive production alongside Avdija has been one of the biggest reasons for Portland’s early success.

Those two alone were enough to overwhelm the Kings and help the Trail Blazers secure another victory.

Portland established control early, building a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looking back. The Trail Blazers carried that momentum into the second quarter and entered halftime with a comfortable advantage.

Although Sacramento made things interesting late, Portland was able to hold off the Kings and ride a hot shooting night to the victory.

The Trail Blazers shot 48% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc, knocking down 17 3-pointers. That offensive efficiency was a major factor in the outcome, as Sacramento simply couldn’t keep up with Portland’s scoring attack.

One of the biggest tests of a legitimate contender is whether it can not only compete against the best teams in the league, but also take care of business against opponents it’s supposed to beat.

Friday night was a perfect example of that for Portland.

After earning back-to-back victories over the Thunder, the Trail Blazers avoided a letdown against a struggling Kings team and continued building momentum.

At 9-3, Portland has quickly established itself as one of the most impressive teams in the Western Conference. What makes this start even more encouraging is that the Trail Blazers have shown they can win in different ways against different levels of competition.

From here, Portland will continue its six-game road trip with a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. That will be one of the toughest tests of the season thus far and another opportunity for the Trail Blazers to prove that their impressive start is sustainable.