SACRAMENTO, California – CJ McCollum had 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 98-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night (Monday in Manila).
The Blazers outscored Sacramento 18-14 in the fourth quarter to claim their second straight victory. They were coming off a convincing 105-76 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and six rebounds for the Kings. Omri Casspi had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo finished with nine points and 15 assists.
Kings coach George Karl was denied his 1,155th victory, which would have tied him with Phil Jackson for fifth place on the career list.
Meyers Leonard made four 3-pointers and had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers. Maurice Harkness added 13 points.
Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard missed his fourth straight game with a nagging plantar fasciitis injury. He is averaging a career-high 24.6 points this season.
McCollum got a rebound and scored despite the presence of Cousins, putting the Blazers ahead by four points. McCollum followed with a midrange jumper to put the Blazers ahead 93-87 with 1:27 left.
Cousins cut the lead to 95-92 with a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining. The Blazers made three free throws in the final 20 seconds to preserve the win and snap a five-game road losing streak.
McCollum had 17 first-half points and scored 11 more in the third quarter, including a three-point play with 2.2 seconds left that tied game at 80.
TIP-INS
Blazers: Portland made 7 of 11 3-pointers in the opening quarter, but finished 10 of 33. Mason Plumlee picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter. McCollum had six rebounds and six assists in the third quarter.
Kings: Rondo has 18 games with 10 or more assists. Rudy Gay missed 10 of 12 shots and finished with seven points, but did collect 14 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Blazers host Denver on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), while Kings Visit Golden State on Monday (Sunday).