Bright Spot Emerges in Kings' 105-85 Loss to Trail Blazers

The Sacramento Kings took one to the chin on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Oct 13, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown instructs his players during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center. / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

After two encouraging games against the Golden State Warriors, the Sacramento Kings looked out of sorts against the Portland Trail Blazers, falling 105-85.

The Kings shot themselves in the foot all game long, finishing with 26 turnovers. Portland turned those into 33 points to make the Kings pay for their mistakes.

Sacramento started the game well, getting out in transition and turning the Blazers' mistakes into easy baskets, finishing the first quarter with 13 fastbreak points to zero for Portland.

Some good and some bad at the end of the 1st quarter

Fastbreak Points: Kings 13, Blazers 0

Turnovers: Kings 9, Blazers 5

Kings 9 Assists on 12 made FGs

— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) October 13, 2024

The game ended with the Kings winning the fastbreak battle 32-14, but those quick baskets weren’t enough to make up for the poor shooting on the day. 

Sacramento shot 5-of-28, 17.9 percent, from beyond the arc with the starters particularly struggling for a combined 2-of-16, 12.5 percent.

The poor shooting is going to happen night-to-night, but pairing that with the turnovers is a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, the Kings got it out of their system during the preseason loss.

For Portland, they led a balanced attack on offense with six players in double figures. Point guard Scoot Henderson led the way with 17 points.

A bright spot for the day was the Sacramento debut of Jordan McLaughlin. The backup guard scored 10 points on 4-of-6, 66.7 percent, from the field and 2-of-3, 66.7 percent, from three. Chipping in two rebounds, two assists, and one steal, he showcased his ability to affect the game in a multitude of ways.

McLaughlin was the only player with at least 13 minutes played to finish with a positive plus/minus of plus two.

The Kings return to action on Tuesday at 6:00 pm PT in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz.

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