Kings visit Portland seeking fifth straight win
Kings (14-17) vs. Trail Blazers (13-20)
THE PARTICULARS
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Ore.
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
TV/radio: CSNCA, 1140
THREE KEYS
1. Maximize Cousins: DeMarcus Cousins devastated Portland in the teams’ last meeting Dec. 20, scoring 55 points on 17-for-28 shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds to spark a come-from-behind 126-121 victory.
2. Contain McCollum: Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum said the Kings told him they would draft him in 2013, but Sacramento chose Ben McLemore. McCollum remembers. In eight games against the Kings, he has averaged 20.8 points, his most against any team. He scored 36 on Dec. 20.
3. Seize the advantage: Portland guard Damian Lillard is listed as doubtful because of a sprained left ankle. If he doesn’t play, that puts pressure on other Trail Blazers to keep up with quick Kings guards Darren Collison and Ty Lawson. Lillard had a career-best 16 assists against Sacramento on Dec. 20.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Kings
No. | Player | Pos. |
7 | Darren Collison | PG |
23 | Ben McLemore | SG |
8 | Rudy Gay | SF |
15 | DeMarcus Cousins | PF |
41 | Kosta Koufos | C |
Trail Blazers
No. | Player | Pos. |
23 | Allen Crabbe | PG |
3 | C.J. McCollum | SG |
4 | Maurice Harkless | SF |
8 | Al-Farouq Aminu | PF |
24 | Mason Plumlee | C |
This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Kings visit Portland seeking fifth straight win."