Two of the more active teams of the NBA offseason met up in their first games of the preseason on Monday night in a thrilling overtime game, as the Sacramento Kings came back from 21 points down to tip their preseason off with a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.

As in most of them, the main attraction of this preseason game was how well the new additions of both teams would fare. The Kings would see the debut of Rajon RondoKosta KoufosMarco Belinelli and Willie Cauley-Stein. Meanwhile Portland, who experienced the loss of five key members to their rotation, showcased an abundance of new, young talent that included, Mason Plumlee, Noah VonlehEd Davis and Moe Harkless

The game opened up at a frantic pace, however. Both teams struggled to get the ball in the basket early, but Sacramento was able to take an 8-4 lead at the start of the first quarter. Kings' free agent signing, Rondo, showed off his skills during that stretch, skating past his defender twice for two uncontested layups. However, that's where the good news ended in the first quarter for the Kings as the Trail Blazers seized control with 13 unanswered points. Most of them, plays that capitalized on sloppy turnovers and bad fouls. Star point guard Damian Lillard, the only returning starter from the 2014-2015 season, was the pick of the bunch during this run.

The first quarter ended rather unspectacularly, with the Blazers taking a 24-18 lead, but the Blazers got off to a lightning fast start in the second quarter, as they were able to go on a 9-0 spurt. Sixth overall pick, Willie Cauley-Stein was able to end this run with a thunderous dunk. With the Sacramento bench in the game, Portland was able to keep adding to its lead easily, as the Kings lacked direction without their stars on the court. The lead ballooned out to 21 points midway through the second quarter. After a George Karl timeout, the Kings got back into the game and made the scoreline a much more respectable 56-41 at halftime. 

With their starters back out on the floor, the Kings looked a lot more composed. They immediately cut down on the turnovers and broke into a pick-and-roll dominated offense. Rondo and Cousins connected three times at the start of the quarter, a combination that Kings fans will be hoping will become a regular occurrence. Meanwhile Moe Harkless and Noah Vonleh were standouts for Rip City. The benches came into the game as both sets of starters took a breather. The Kings and Blazers traded blows to close out the third and Portland maintained its strong lead heading into a fourth quarter that nobody would've predicted. 

Down by 14 points, the Kings game plan clearly changed. They turned to free agent acquisition Marco Belinelli, who became the chief ball handler and offensive creator for the Kings offense that was quite stagnant up until that point. Darren Collison also came on and his jump shot, that Rondo simply doesn't have, was crucial.  They immediately made a difference, and after the Trail Blazers made it an 87-72 game, the Kings offense went on an absolute tear, scoring 12 straight points that included 10 in a row from Collison. After some more back-and-forth action, the Kings tied things up. Vonleh and Collison both missed chances to win the game in regulation, but this game was clearly destined for overtime. 

Belinelli took over in OT, scoring 10 of the Kings' 12 points in the extra period. The Trail Blazers stayed in touch, but couldn't keep up with Belinelli in the end, losing this one 109-105.

For the Blazers, the loss doesn't mean anything as it is just preseason. Many of their new additions shone, especially Vonleh and Harkless. Vonleh had 11 rebounds, an incredible nine of which were offensive boards. He also finished with 12 points, a majority of which were put-backs. Harkless was filled with the energy and athleticism that he showed with the Orlando Magic, but also showed an improved offensive game that netted him 14 points. He shot 5 of 6 from the field, his only miss coming on an end-of-third-quarter heave. Last season's NBA D-League MVP, Tim Frazier also showed off his skills in an effort to try and secure the backup point guard role. 

The Kings' comeback is good for their bench, whose performance will be turning heads, especially Rajon Rondo's and Ben McLemore's, who's starting spots could be in danger following the epic performances of Collison and Belinelli.   

Up next in preseason, the Portland Trail Blazers will matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, while on Wednesday, the Kings are in Phoenix for their next game. 

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About the author
Brad Winter
Covering and writing about the NBA with passion here on VAVEL USA.