In a game that lasted ages, thanks to a combined 73 free-throw attempts, the Sacramento Kings were unable to emerge victorious Friday night in Portland.
Their 124-123 loss caused their 2025-26 preseason record to fall to 0-2. Zach LaVine led the way for Sacramento with 19 points on 5/8 from deep in 25 minutes.
Despite starters not appearing in the final frame, they nearly fought back but couldn’t get over the hump.
Sacramento went with their expected starters of Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis.
The host Trail Blazers rolled out Jrue Holiday, Shadeon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan.
LaVine caught fire early, tallying eight quick points largely due to starting his night 3/3 from beyond the arc.
He was a large factor in Sacramento’s 22-14 start, but Portland responded quickly with an 8-0 run to tie the scoreboard at 22.
Head coach Doug Christie’s first substitution came around the halfway mark, entering Malik Monk and rookie Nique Clifford for LaVine and DeRozan.
Their emphasis on picking up 94 feet defensively was more evident than in their preseason debut on Wednesday.
But their increased physicality also resulted in a slew of personal fouls, with Sabonis recording three fouls within eight minutes. Drew Eubanks saw an extended opportunity as a result.
31 free throws and 21 fouls later, Portland led 37-31 at the end of the first quarter. It was a classic preseason style of game.
Dario Saric saw the floor at the start of the second, his first appearance in royal purple, replacing Isaac Jones, who continued to be their first backup power forward of choice behind Murray.
LaVine didn’t cool down during this time on the bench as he was right back to converting from three. Meanwhile, Avidja, Grant and others had a clear plan to attack Saric and Eubanks what felt like every time down the floor.
That led to more free throws, as if the first quarter wasn’t enough. Eventually, with roughly seven minutes in the half remaining, Christie went back to his starters, who put together a quick 6-0 to take a 51-50 lead.
Turnovers, fouls, and 45 free-throw attempts made for a messy first half. Despite the chaos, the Kings led 64-58 after 24 minutes of game time and nearly 90 minutes of real time.
LaVine led all scorers with 16 points on 4/5 from the three-point line. After not playing in the second half of game one, LaVine stayed on the floor while it was announced that Keegan Murray would not return with a left thumb injury. Clifford replaced him in the starting unit.
Momentum quickly shifted into the Blazers’ favor from that point, recording a 13-0 run as the Kings faced their largest deficit of the night, 64-71.
Saric and excited Portland rookie Yang Hansen traded three pointers while Monk littered in some turnaround fadeaways as well to remain close.
Devin Carter made his first appearance in the third quarter for the second straight showing. LaVine was the final starter on the floor, but none logged more than 25 minutes before ending their nights in the third.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, the Kings were down four (95-91). Hansen showed off his well-rounded game with 14 of his 16 points in the frame, including 2/2 from three.
Their third unit, essentially the same group that made it to the Las Vegas Summer League finals, didn’t provide the same spark as they did on Wednesday night.
A 13-0 Portland run extended their largest lead of the night.
But Sacramento’s fight persisted, finding ways to get a stop and cutting the lead to four points after Saric’s fourth made triple converted with 5:49 on the clock. The first-year King ended his night with 14 points on 4/4 three-point shooting in 14 minutes — a promising offensive performance before heading to the bench for the final time.
Isaiah Stevens, Devin Carter, Daeqwon Plowden, Nique Clifford, and Maxime Raynaud played exceptionally well during the closing minutes.
Somehow tied at 115 with two minutes remaining, the 2025-26 Kings were facing a close finish.
Chaos and unpredictable buckets continued to occur for both sides, with offensive rebounds playing a significant role.
Former collegiate standout and new Portland rookie Caleb Love managed a tough layup through contact, which Sacramento was unable to respond to. Love came back down the floor and comfortably swished an off-the-dribble pick-and-roll triple to give his team a four-point advantage with less than 30 seconds on the clock,
Clifford got an easy, quick layup off a well-drawn and executed out-of-bounds play to cut the lead to two. Love’s clutch gene shrank as he missed two free throws, leaving an opportunity for the visitors.
Raynaud’s putback off a missed layup from Carter tied the game at 123 with 10.8 seconds left. Love came down and attacked Clifford on the other end, managing to draw a foul. After just missing two possessions prior, his first attempt clanked off the back rim.
Sacramento’s bench was on their feet with smiles on their face, but the 24-year-old got the second to go down with 0.6 seconds left. With no timeouts remaining, their full-court prayer was unanswered, finalizing a 124-123 loss Friday night in Portland.
Game three will take place on Wednesday in Golden 1 Center against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
The Sacramento Kings are less than two weeks away from opening up the 2025-26 season in Phoenix, and the plot continues to thicken when it comes to Russell Westbrook’s free agency.
Sacramento has been linked to the former NBA MVP since before the free agency floodgates opened in late June, but no deal has come to fruition as the preseason rolls on and the start of the regular season approaches.
Things have been quiet on the Kings-Westbrook front for some time, but ESPN’s Shams Charania re-emphasized the link between the two parties during Friday’s telecast of NBA Today.
“I’m told there is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings,” Charania said. “The Kings have a need for a reserve point guard… He’s got relationships across that organization. Domantas Sabonis he’s close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schroder as well. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, they have LA ties.
Read More:
Shams: Kings, Westbrook have ‘strong mutual interest’ as season nears
Preseason
Wednesday, October 15th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 17th @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7 PM PT
Regular Season
Wednesday, October 22nd – @ Phoenix Suns – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 24th – vs. Utah Jazz – 7 PM PT
Sunday, October 26th – vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 6 PM PT
Tuesday, October 28th – @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5 PM PT
Wednesday, October 29th – @ Chicago Bulls – 5 PM PT
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