Here are the scores, updates, and results of the NBA 2020-2021 Preseason match between the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers on December 14, 2020.
After losing their preseason opener to the same team last Friday, the Sacramento Kings bounced back and beat the Trail Blazers 121-106 on Sunday night.
Rookie first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton had his fingerprints all over their win, scoring a career-high 11 points on top of 7 assists, 6 rebounds, a block, and a steal.
Aside from contributing double-digit points to his team, Haliburton’s playmaking was spectacular last night.
“It’s his basketball instincts, the way he gets the deflections, the steals. He’s seeing what’s happening out there from not just his spot, but like all great guards, he sees it from what everyone else is doing, too. Those instincts for someone as young as he is — and was only drafted a few weeks ago — is pretty exciting,” Kings coach Luke Walton said.
For his part, Haliburton reiterated: “So different. The first game, I was just trying to get a feel for everything. My hands were shaking, man. I didn’t feel right. I can sit here and tell you how confident, how good I feel, but when I got out there, it was a little different. I felt a lot more comfortable tonight.”
Similarly, Kyle Guy looked more confident against the Trail Blazers on Sunday, scoring 14 points on an efficient 4-8 shooting from the field and 3-7 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Along with him, Richaun Holmes chipped in a team-high 14 points in the game.
For their part, De’Aaron Fox and Nemanja Bjelica had 13 and 12 points apiece.
Despite shooting 43.2% from the field and 28.6% from the 3-point range, the Kings still managed to win thanks to their defense and the Blazers’ subpar shot percentage, shooting only 40% from the field after shooting 51.1% on Friday.
Meanwhile, Trail Blazers’ newcomer Harry Giles made a splash with a solid 19-points against his former team, the Kings.
Portland vs Sacramento
Quarters:
The scores: 21-30; 51-58; 84-87; 106-121
Trail Blazers (106) – Giles 19, Trent 17, Jones 15, McCollum 13, Covington 9, Kanter 8, Anthony 7, Blevins 5, Nurkic 4, Elleby 4, Lillard 3, Hood 2.
Kings (121) – Holmes 14, Guy 14, Fox 13, Bjelica 12, Haliburton 11, Robinson 11, Metu 11, Kaminsky 10, Barnes 9, Hield 6, James 5, Woodard 4, Ramsey 1.