Trail Blazers 115, Kings 107
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- CJ McCollum scored 30 points, backcourt mate Damian Lillard added 22, and the Portland Trail Blazers continued their drive toward a Western Conference playoff spot with a 115-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena on Tuesday.
McCollum made 11 of 20 shots and knocked down five 3-pointers, including one from the left wing arc that capped a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter and allowed Portland to put the Kings away. That 3-pointer followed three consecutive offensive rebounds by the Blazers and put Portland ahead 106-96 with 2:55 left.
Portland owned the offensive glass to the tune of a 19-3 margin.
The Trail Blazers (42-37) stayed a half-game behind the Memphis Grizzlies (42-36) in the race for the fifth spot in the West and moved three games ahead of the ninth-place Houston Rockets (38-39). Portland can clinch a playoff spot with two more victories, two more Rockets losses or one win and one Houston loss.
Forward Maurice Harkless added 20 points, all in the second half, and 16 rebounds as Portland beat the Kings (31-47) for the sixth straight time. Harkless had seven offensive rebounds and center Mason Plumlee grabbed six.
Guard Rajon Rondo put his name on another line in the Sacramento record book, recording his sixth triple-double of the season with 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Rondo surpassed Chris Webber's 1999-2000 triple-double total.
Rondo also moved past Norm Van Lier for seventh place on the Kings' all-time assist list. He has tallied at least 10 assists in 51 contests, a Sacramento record, and the most for the franchise since Nate Archibald set the team mark with 56 for the Kansas City-Omaha Kings during the 1972-73 season.
DeMarcus Cousins led Sacramento with 30 points and added nine rebounds, etching his name into the record book, as well. Cousins' 26th contest with at least 30 points tied Mitch Richmond's Sacramento record set during the 1996-97 campaign.
The center also picked up his league-leading 17th technical foul when he shoved Trail Blazers guard Gerald Henderson while on his way to the bench during a timeout. Cousins, who already is scheduled to sit out Sacramento's final two games for rest, would miss one of the two in which he is scheduled to play with a suspension if he picks up another one technical.
Seth Curry scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds for Sacramento, which will miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.
NOTES: Sacramento played without F Rudy Gay, G Darren Collison, and C Kosta Koufos, all of whom were given the night off to rest. ... Blazers G Damian Lillard needed 10 3-pointers in Portland's final four games to tie G Wesley Matthews' franchise record of 826. He already became the first player since Clippers G Chris Paul to record more than 450 assists in each of his first four season. ... Kings F Omri Casspi (strained right hamstring) missed his second consecutive game. Casspi is expected to return in time to play in Sacramento's final four contests. ... The Blazers played their final road game, already assured of their worst campaign away from Portland since 2012-13. They face Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Denver in their final three games at home, where they already secured their ninth straight winning season.