The Portland Trail Blazers did not make a move before Thursday’s trade deadline, leaving the team intact and with an outside shot at earning a postseason play-in berth.
The Blazers took a big step in that direction with a 108-102 win Thursday night over the Sacramento Kings, one of five teams Portland is chasing.
The victory is the Blazes’ 10th in 11 games. The last time the Blazers won at least 10 games in 11 outings occurred during the 2017-18 season when they won 13 consecutive games from Feb. 14 through March 18.
Once again, the Blazers’ defense did the job, holding the Kings, who rank ninth in scoring (116.1 points per game). The Blazers have led the NBA in defensive rating (104.7) over the last 11 games.
“The one thing that’s been consistent is just our defense,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “And we know that that’s the way that we’re going to be able to compete with all of these teams. We got to be flying around. We got to be playing a lot of people. Next person that comes in has to play the same intensity.”
Anfernee Simons led the Blazers with 30 points while sinking 8 of 12 three-pointers.
Simons’ three with under a minute remaining gave the Blazers a 106-99 lead that the Kings could not overcome.
Shaedon Sharpe came off the bench to score 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
“Shay hit some big ones in this game,” Billups said. “Ant hit some big ones in this game. And everybody else was just there to support, just kind of be there to do all the other things. To me, that’s the beauty in how we play.”
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons checks the clock during an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
The game was close throughout. The Blazers shot 9 of 19 from three-point range (47.4) in the first half, but 11 turnovers helped the Kings overcome shooting 35.6% from the field. Portland led just 54-50 at halftime and 79-77 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth, Simons and Kings forward DeMar DeRozan dominated the action. Simons scored 16 points while DeRozan 15.
The Blazers committed just three turnovers in the second half to finish with 13. Portland shot 43.3% from the field but hit 40% of their three-point shots.
The Blazers’ defense once again controlled a high-scoring team. Portland held Sacramento to 42% from shooting and limited the Kings to 10 of 30 from three-point range.
Deandre Ayton scored 18 points with eight rebounds, while doing a good job defending Domantas Sabonis. He finished with just 10 points but had 14 rebounds and four assists.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe with a reverse layup during an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
WHAT IT MEANS
The 13th-place Blazers (23-29) entered the night 3 1/2 games out of ninth place, shared by the Kings, Golden State (25-26) and the Phoenix Suns (25-25). The Suns were off while the Warriors lost at the Los Angeles Lakers (30-19).
The Blazers made up a full game on the Kings and the Warriors, now tied for 10th. Portland trails them by 2 1/2 games.
CAMARA ON THE BOARDS
Blazers forward Toumani Camara shot just 2 of 13 from the field for four points but grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, including key offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.
“One thing about Toumani, whether he makes a shot or not, he is going to have an impact on the game,” Billups said.
NEXT UP
The Blazers play a 5 p.m. game Saturday at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
— Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
