Kings at Trail Blazers
DeMarcus Cousins has established career-best scoring efforts in
back-to-back games and it remains to be seen how much he has left in the
tank when the Sacramento Kings visit the Portland Trail Blazers on
Tuesday. Cousins scored a Sacramento era franchise-record 56 points on
Monday — breaking Chris Webber's mark of 51 — but the Kings fell 129-128
in double overtime against the Charlotte Hornets to end a five-game
winning streak.
Cousins, who played 46 minutes against Charlotte before fouling out, scored 48 points two nights earlier against Indiana and has posted 11 consecutive double-doubles while playing the best basketball of his career. "I'm thinking of a lot of the plays that could've changed the game," a dejected Cousins told reporters after Monday's contest. "But we left it all on the floor. You hate to lose a game like that." While Sacramento was being taxed physically Monday, the Trail Blazers were enjoying the night off and they view the contest as pivotal since they trail the Kings by one game for the final Western Conference playoff spot. "We look at the standings and we know this is an important game for our playoff run," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "When you have a chance to play somebody right next to you, it has a big impact on the standings."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE KINGS (20-24): Cousins' 56-point effort is the highest in the NBA this season and he is averaging 34.4 points and 13.6 rebounds this month while exceeding 30 points in nine of the 12 games. He has fared well of late against Portland by averaging 29.7 points in the past seven meetings — including five outings of 30 or more points. Point guard Rajon Rondo has his own impressive streak of 12 straight games with 10 or more assists and he matched his season best of 20 in the loss to the Hornets.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (20-26): Standout point guard Damian Lillard broke out of a three-game shooting slump by scoring 36 points on 14-of-19 shooting in Saturday's 121-103 thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers. Lillard was just 19-of-56 shooting in a three-game stretch as plantar fasciitis issues in his feet flared up and he expects to be in top form against Kings after playing just one game in a five-day span. "It feels fine; I practiced," Lillard told reporters after Monday's workout session. "I did all of my treatment stuff, all the stuff I need to do at home to make sure it was feeling as good as possible."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers have won three straight meetings and seven of the past nine, including a 98-94 road victory Dec. 27.
2. Sacramento SF Rudy Gay (heel) returned from a two-game absence and had 20 points and nine rebounds against Charlotte before departing with an eye injury that leaves him questionable for Tuesday's game.
3. Portland SG C.J. McCollum, who scored 35 points against the Kings last month, is averaging 27 points during the past three games.