4 Blazers-Kings Takeaways: DeRozan Guides Sacramento to First Win of Season

The Portland tank is on in earnest now.

Oct 28, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) shoots the ball against Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings finally got on the board for the season Monday, blowing out the visiting Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center, 111-98. Sacramento improved to a 1-2 record on the season, while dropping Portland to 1-3.

Here are our takeaways from the Portland loss, as the club seeks to punch its ticket to the 2025 NBA Draft's lottery, its fourth straight under head coach Chauncey Billups.

The Kings' Second Half Fastbreak Offense Made The Difference

Sacramento, like the Indiana Pacers, is one of the speediest clubs in the league. Part of the thinking behind head coach Mike Brown's ethos is that the club doesn't have a ton of defense, which is why the Kings want to overwhelm opposing teams with offense. On this night, at last, it worked. The game was actually fairly close coming out of the break. Sacramento was ahead by single digits, 51-43.

And that's when the Kings went to work, outscoring the Trail Blazers 38-28 in the third quarter to create some major separation. Sacramento embraced its fastbreak scoring method. Despite now boasting four players who thrive with the rock in their hands — All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan joins All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox and All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, along with perpetual Sixth Man of the Year contender Malik Monk — the Kings employed an egalitarian, pass-happy approach to their offense, distributing the ball for oodles of hockey assists.

Despite moving at such a brisk clip, the Kings put on an elite shooting clinic, connecting on 37-of-81 shooting from the field (45.7 percent), including 14-of-35 shooting from the 3-point line (40 percent), along with a stellar 23-of-25 shooting from the charity stripe (92 percent). Sacramento also enjoyed a 25-16 assists advantage and a 9-4 fastbreak points edge.

De'Aaron Fox's Aggressive Paint Scoring Was A Cheat Code

Fox, Sacramento's high scorer, notched much of his offense from inside the post, with midrange floaters and drives serving as a big part of his 9-for-20 shooting night. He also drew some contact inside (though not as much as DeRozan or Sabonis), shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. The 6-foot-3 Kentucky product also pulled down six rebounds, dished out three dimes, and swiped a pair of steals for good measure.

Starting Portland point guard Anfernee Simons and his backup, 2023 No. 3 draft pick Scoot Henderson, could do basically nothing to contain him.

Deandre Ayton Had A Great Empty-Calorie Double-Double

Ayton has devolved from his Phoenix Suns prime into being the Zach LaVine of NBA centers. Like the Bulls All-Star shooting guard, Ayton is an overpaid trade chip who excels at putting up "empty calorie" stats that don't abet his team in winning at all. To wit, the 6-foot-11 Arizona product scored a Blazers-most 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field (but never got to the foul line), grabbed 11 rebounds and passed for one assist. But he often sagged off his charges defensively, seemingly indifferent about containing opposition, either while defending Sabonis straight-up or a guard like Fox off a switch.

Portland's 3-Point Shooting Woes Continue

The Trail Blazers shot a dismal 4-of-22 (18 percent) from long range. No one made more than one triple, with the least efficient high-volume offenders being Simons (1-of-7 from long range) and new wing Deni Avdija (0-of-4).

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