Avdija scores 26 as Blazers beat Kings, 110-98

Deni Avdija gave Portland an efficient scoring night and a commanding early advantage against Sacramento, with the Trail Blazers doing most of the work before halftime in their third preseason victory.

ESPN published highlights of Avdija’s 26-point performance against Sacramento.

The Trail Blazers beat Sacramento 110-98 at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday. Avdija scored 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out four assists in 25 minutes. Avdija made all seven of his two-point attempts and went 2-for-6 from three.

Portland scored 33 points in each of the first two quarters. Sacramento had 22 in the first and 17 in the second, leaving the Kings behind 66-39 at halftime. The teams each scored 27 in the third quarter, so the Trail Blazers carried the same 27-point advantage into the fourth.

Sacramento’s deeper rotation made the final period more competitive. The Kings outscored Portland 32-17 in the fourth, reducing a deficit that had reached 35 points earlier in the game. That late improvement changed the final margin without undoing the separation established by Portland’s earlier lineups.

The Trail Blazers received 14 points apiece from Damian Lillard and Ja Morant. Lillard made three of eight threes and added four assists. Morant made four of six field-goal attempts and had six assists without a turnover. Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday each scored 11 points.

Portland finished with 30 assists on 39 made baskets. It also blocked 10 shots and held Sacramento to 30-for-91 shooting from the field. The Kings made 13 threes to Portland’s 11, but their struggles closer to the basket left them with only 22 points in the paint; the Trail Blazers had 54.

Jonathan Mogbo and Tristen Newton led Sacramento with 15 points each. Mogbo also collected 10 rebounds and four assists, while Precious Achiuwa had 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Emanuel Sharp scored 12, and Leaky Black and Keegan Murray finished with 10 apiece.

The Kings left additional points at the foul line, making 25 of 40 free throws. Portland went 21-for-29. Sacramento’s 16 offensive rebounds produced opportunities, but its shooting and free-throw results kept those possessions from fully closing the gap.

Ben Simmons did not play. RotoWire reported before the game, citing Matt George of ABC 10 Sacramento, that Simmons would rest, and ESPN’s event availability record also listed rest. That means the possible increase to roughly 18 minutes discussed in his earlier Andscape interview did not happen against Portland. The earlier expectation should not be read as an actual game workload.

For Portland, the most useful performance came from Avdija’s production and the control its regulars established through three quarters. For Sacramento, the late bench scoring offered individual contributions to review, but the team spent the final period trying to recover ground lost much earlier in the game.

Sources

ESPN: October 13 final box score and full play-by-play · RotoWire: Simmons rests against Portland · Marc J. Spears, Andscape: Simmons on his return with Sacramento