Blazers lock up the No. 8 seed, proving dominance with strong three-point shooting and clinching their playoff path against the Kings.
Sunday served as the official clinching moment for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Friday’s win over the LA Clippers was the biggest win of Portland’s season and put the Blazers in position to grab the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference play-in race, but Sunday was about finishing the job. With a win over the Sacramento Kings, the Blazers could make it official, and that is exactly what they did in a 122-110 victory to close the regular season. Portland finished 42-40 and locked up the No. 8 seed in the West.
Early on, Portland looked like a team still trying to settle in, but this ended up feeling more like a formality than anything else. The Blazers were clearly the better team for most of the night and eventually got over the hump in a game that had a little bit of weird final-day-of-the-regular-season energy to it. Portland created real separation with a huge second quarter and led 77-57 at halftime before holding off Sacramento’s push from there.
Deni Avdija led the way with 25 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Jrue Holiday added 23 points and seven rebounds. Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara chipped in 15 points apiece, while Donovan Clingan posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
What really ended up being the difference in this game was the three-point shooting. Portland knocked down 16 threes compared to just seven for Sacramento. Even though the percentages were not wildly different, the Blazers won the volume battle in a major way, and that was enough to swing the game. Portland also took better care of the ball, committing 12 turnovers to Sacramento’s 16, which helped keep control of things once the Kings tried to make a run.
Now the focus shifts fully to the postseason.
With the win, Portland advances to face the No. 7 Phoenix Suns in the play-in tournament. The winner of that game earns the No. 7 seed and a first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs. The loser will get one more chance, facing the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup between the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors for the No. 8 seed. The team that comes out of that spot will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Everything is set now. The regular season is over, and all eyes have officially pivoted to the postseason.