Kings hit 21 3-pointers in defeating Blazers
Bogdan Bogdanovic matched his career high of seven 3-pointers and recorded 27 points and eight assists and the Sacramento Kings halted a 12-game losing streak in Portland while rolling to a 123-111 victory over the Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Buddy Hield scored 22 points and Harrison Barnes added 20 as Sacramento won in Portland for the first time since Dec. 8, 2012. The Kings equaled the franchise record of 21 3-pointers (in 39 attempts), with Hield knocking down six and Barnes making five.
De'Aaron Fox recorded 14 points and 11 assists for the Kings, who have won seven of their last nine games. Sacramento stands 3 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Hassan Whiteside recorded 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, and CJ McCollum also scored 19 points as Portland endured a poor showing in the opener of a six-game homestand.
Mario Hezonja added 16 points and fellow reserve Gary Trent Jr. had 14 for the Trail Blazers, who have lost eight of their past 11 games. Portland is 4 1/2 games behind Memphis.
Portland star Damian Lillard scored just 12 points and was 4 of 15 from the field, including 2 of 10 from 3-point range.
Sacramento's Richaun Holmes had 10 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes in his first game since Jan. 6 due to a shoulder injury. Nemanja Bjelica also had 10 points for the Kings, who shot 48.2 percent from the field.
The Trail Blazers shot 47.2 percent from the field and were 10 of 39 from behind the arc.
Sacramento built a 23-point halftime lead and later increased the lead to 89-64 when Bjelica was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer with 6:08 remaining and made all three free throws.
Portland began closing the gap with a 12-1 surge, and Hezonja's 3-pointer pulled it within 90-76 with 2:11 remaining in the quarter.
The Kings responded with a 10-4 closing run, and Barnes drained a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds to play to make it 100-80 entering the final stanza.
Hield and Kent Bazemore opened the fourth quarter with baskets as Sacramento scored eight of the first 10 points of the period to push the lead to 108-82 with 9:38 remaining.
Bogdanovic hit the team's 21st 3-pointer to make it 120-97 with 4:14 left.
Sacramento connected on 14 of 21 3-point shots in the first half while taking a 77-54 lead.
The Kings led 40-24 after the opening quarter and then equaled a franchise record by nine making 3-pointers in the second quarter.
--Field Level Media
