Portland, OR – John Salmons and DeMarcus Cousins each recorded a double-double as the Sacramento Kings used a dominant second half to down the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-80, at the Rose Garden.
Salmons and Cousins scored 19 points apiece, while Salmons added 11 assists and Cousins pulled down 12 rebounds for the Kings, who earned their first road win of the season.
Aaron Brooks netted 14 points, Jason Thompson and Francisco Garcia each poured in 12 and Travis Outlaw contributed 11 in Sacramento's third straight win overall.
"It feels good," Salmons said about getting a road win. "We talked about that before the game today, especially coming off two home wins."
LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 15 boards for Portland, which dropped its second straight.
The teams traded blows over the opening minutes of action until Brooks' layup sparked an 11-0 run that turned a 9-7 deficit into an 18-9 lead for the Kings.
A Damian Lillard 3-pointer halted the spurt, but after a Cousins dunk and a Joel Freeland jumper made it a 20-14 game, Sacramento closed out the first quarter with a 10-4 push to carry a 30-18 lead into the second.
Luke Babbitt opened the second with back-to-back threes to bring the Trail Blazers within six, but they would get no closer than that until Aldridge capped a 9-2 spurt with a pair of free throws to get Portland back within 35-33 with 4:21 remaining in the half.
The Trail Blazers would later tie the game at 41-41 in the final minute of the second quarter, but they could not take the lead and a Thompson layup gave Sacramento a 43-41 edge at the break.
But that is as close as Portland would get in the contest as Garcia and Brooks opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 14-6 run to jump ahead, 57-47.
The Trail Blazers answered with an 8-2 spurt to get back to 59-55 and later got back within four points following a pair of Nicolas Batum free throws before Salmons' three-point play ignited Sacramento's second 14-6 run of the third quarter to give the Kings a 77-65 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Portland never threatened in the fourth, trailing by double digits for the entire frame.
"Sacramento played harder and better than we did. We were out of sorts offensively all night, whether it was turnovers, finishing at the rim or spacing," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "It was just a rough night at both ends."
Game Notes
Batum left the game with a back injury and did not return ... The Kings improved to 1-6 on the road this season, while Portland fell to 4-4 on the road ... Wesley Matthews scored 14 points and Lillard finished with 12 points and nine assists for the Trail Blazers ... The Kings held a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint and a 25-10 edge in second-chance points.
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