Kings at Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are assured of a spot in the playoffs; they’re just not sure yet exactly what that spot will be. The Trail Blazers will try to clarify the situation and stay ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the race for the No. 5 spot when they host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Portland is 1 1/2 games up on the Warriors and is trying to secure that spot over the next two games before hosting Golden State on Sunday.
The Trail Blazers got a nice break in the schedule beginning last Sunday, when a 100-94 win over the New Orleans Pelicans kicked off a three-game stretch against sub-.500 teams. Portland will head to West-worst Utah on Friday for its final road game of the campaign after finishing up with slumping Sacramento. The Kings were crushed 107-92 at home by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday and are playing shorthanded with Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas not around to help out DeMarcus Cousins.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE KINGS (27-51): Gay (back) sat out Tuesday and could leave the team at any moment due to the impending birth of his child. Travis Outlaw stepped into Gay’s vacated spot in the lineup against the Thunder and put up a season-high 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go along with Cousins’ 24 points and 14 rebounds. Sacramento has lost six of its last eight games but Thomas’ quad injury has given Ray McCallum a chance to play during that stretch, and the rookie seems to be hitting a wall in the last three games with an average of 6.3 points on 9-of-40 shooting.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (50-28): Portland clinched its playoff spot with the win over the Pelicans but was not ready to take the foot off the gas. “I want to play,” guard Wesley Matthews told reporters. “I see the logic in (resting players), I see the safeness in that, but we’re trying to lock up a spot. We’re trying to lock up that fifth spot, maybe, possibly, off chance sneak that fourth spot. … I want to play and win. Win out.” The Trail Blazers are 2 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for that No. 4 spot and the homecourt advantage in the first round that would go along with it.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Kings took the last meeting 123-119 on Jan. 7 after dropping three straight in the series.
2. The Trail Blazers are 25-4 when allowing their opponent fewer that 100 points.
3. Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge recorded his 12th game of at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in the win over New Orleans — second in the league behind Kevin Love‘s 16.