The Blazers are holding on to the fourth best record in the West, with the Mavericks and Clippers right on their heels. They almost lost that edge tonight, but managed to hold off a young but aggressive Kings team.
Damian Lillard finished strong after the Blazers 15-point lead was shredded to just one. Newly acquired Andre Miller had six assists in the fourth quarter, as he came off the bench and sparked a Kings comeback. Trailing by six, he pushed the ball up to Omri Casspi who lobbed it to Derrick Williams for a jam. A Rudy Gay three-pointer on the next position made it a one-point game, but back-to-back Lillard buckets gave the Blazers some breathing room for the final five minutes. He finished with 31 points and seven assists, while LaMarcus Aldridge did his usual efficient work in the post.
He hit 8 of 9 from the charity stripe and gobbled up 12 boards to go with 26 points. Backup big man Chris Kaman, who has provided a much needed boost to Portland's bench this year, had the play of the game after a spin move in the post and no look reverse flip shot. He scored six points and grabbed three rebounds, as Lillard and Aldridge combined for 45 of the team's 83 field goal attempts.
The Kings, still without DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins, distributed their shots a little more evenly, as Rudy Gay led the way with 24 points off of 10 for 22 shooting. Derrick Williams brought a spark off the pine, with 18 points and plenty of hustle on both ends of the floor. The Kings struggled once again from deep as, after shooting 17 percent in their last game, they only managed 25 percent tonight.
Andre Miller had 12 points and 10 assists in just 25 minutes, but it wasn't enough for Sacramento as they would fall, 110-99. Their next game will be Tuesday on the road against the New York Knicks Tuesday at 7:00 PM EST. The Blazers will go for eight out of 11, as they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Wednesday at 10:30 PM EST.