Another rough night for the Portland Trail Blazers, as they suffered a horrible shooting night during the same game where the Kings came out energized and hustling. Damian Lillard scored a Blazers-record 26 points in the fourth quarter, during a furious comeback that came up short. After their torrid start, the Blazers have now lost four of their last six games.

Despite the shooting night, the Blazers were led by Damian Lillard, who had a new career high in points (41, with 7 rebounds and 4 assists), with support from LaMarcus Aldridge (24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), Nicolas Batum (11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) and Robin Lopez (18 points, 7 rebounds).

Lillard's 26 fourth quarter points broke a Blazer record for points in quarter, long held by Terry Porter since 1992.

This was CJ McCollum's first NBA game as an active player (though he did not play), and the Blazers made sure he was initiated:

Box Score

First Quarter: A fairly quiet quarter. The Blazers shot the lights out, but like a couple recent games, had trouble controlling the ball. Their 5 turnovers prevented any larger runs. However, despite the omnipresent DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento couldn't take advantage. As Will Barton unexpectedly checked into the game late in the first quarter, Portland maintained a small lead, and his three-pointer helped them finish the quarter strong, taking a nice lead into the break.

Portland 35, Sacramento 24

Barton is making me reconsider his place on this team. He seems to be working towards the right things, I have to give credit to Barton being receptive to what he needs to work on, but I really have to give credit to the coaching staff for instilling it in such a way where it was received. Good job everybody.
by gtbassett

Second Quarter: The Blazers' bench came in, and suddenly it was 2013 all over again, as they blew the lead in 3 minutes. It was simply a quarter of runs from there, as Portland could not maintain any momentum due to more turnovers. At different points, Lillard and Leonard simply passed the ball directly to Kings players. Thanks to 18 free throw attempts, the Blazers held on to a small lead.

Portland 60, Sacramento 55

We have only take 9 3pt's. That feels low for us as of late. We have been spoiled
by colbymac

Third Quarter: The turnovers continued as Sacramento took the lead. More turnovers led to three-pointers and a Kings 6 point lead. The quarter was a complete mess from there, as the Blazers struggled to get the ball in the hoop, while the Kings made spectacular plays to bring the crowd to their feet. But yet, the Kings struggled to push the lead. Aldridge took shots he hits game after game... and doinked them off the rim repeatedly. They shot 6-22 in the quarter, and growled as they headed to the bench, outscored by 12.

Sacramento 80, Portland 73

Fourth Quarter: The Blazers gave up an offensive rebound on a missed free throw, for a Kings three-point play. Rudy Gay followed it with a three-pointer to push the Kings ahead by 13. Another Gay three made it 16, and Portland had dug themselves a big hole. Lillard hit a few threes to help the Blazers make a late run, and Gay fouled out, but the Kings were just on a roll. Every time the Blazers tried to make a run, the Kings would hit a three-point play. The Blazers made one last furious run thanks to more Lillard magic, but they had built too big a hole, and came up short.

Don't get fooled by the final score. This game was much more exhausting to watch than I'm describing here. If it's sitting on your DVR, delete it. Now. Unless you really want to see Lillard go nuts in the fourth quarter of an ugly loss.

What's Next:

For the Blazers, a quick-but-long plane trip home for a date with the Orlando Magic Wednesday night. For us, more from Dave later tonight. -- Tim

Gameday Thread Comments of the Night!

Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings to a stunning win over the Blazers.

The Sacramento Kings continued to make no sense whatsoever, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 123-119 on Tuesday. The win followed back-to-back losses to the Sixers and Bobcats at home. Basketball!

Despite the Kings leading by 18 late, the Blazers roared back behind Damian Lillard, who dropped 26 in the fourth quarter and 41 for the game.

Rudy Gay was scorching, scoring 32 on 10-16 shooting before fouling out on a ticky-tack call with four minutes left in the fourth. DeMarcus Cousins carried the team home. Cousins finished with 35. It was Boogie's seventh 30-point game of the season.

Gay played 18 games for Toronto this season, and shot 50 percent or better once. In 13 games with the Kings, including Tuesday, he has shot 50 percent or better nine times.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• Kings vs. Trail Blazers Fan Predictions
• Kings vs. Blazers preview: Will the nets burn?
• The Bulls now own that Kings conditional draft pick due to Luol Deng trade
• Andre Miller and the Myth of Veteran Leadership
• DMC Wants Your Vote!

Damian Lillard pours in a historical flurry in the last two minutes as the Portland Trail Blazers catch up to the Sacramento Kings but shoddy defense and the skills of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay undercut the effort.

The Portland Trail Blazers tried to follow their tried-and-true formula of turning 16 good minutes of play into a victory tonight but the Sacramento Kings, themselves familiar with that kind of play, were having none of it.  The Blazers dropped their second straight game and their 4th in the last 6, losing 123-119 in Sacramento.

In a reversal of recent fortune,the first quarter provided 12 of Portland's good 16 minutes.  The Blazers started hot behind their big men.  LaMarcus Aldridge alternated between jumpers and multiple free throws, scoring 11 in the period.  When the Kings moved to shut off Aldridge, Robin Lopez went to work.  He hit free-throw line "J's", layups, dunks...you name it.  Lopez and friends feasted on the offensive glass, killing any momentum Sacramento tried to build.  Things got worse when the Kings' second unit came in.  Negligent defense, reaching instead of moving, and hair-trigger refs combined to swamp the home team.  The only thing working for the Kings in the period was their usual Hillbilly Offense: scoring with Cousins or nothing.  That wasn't enough.  Portland cruised out of the first with a 35-24 lead, all according to plan.

As the second quarter commenced Portland's reserved looked at their Sacramento counterparts and said, "You think that was bad defense?  We'll show you bad defense!"  And so they did.  It took the Kings 2 minutes and 49 seconds to trim an 11-point deficit to 2.  Jimmer Fredette gave them 1 three-pointer.  Other than that it was all about the lane.  You know how you can go to certain amusement parks and pay extra for a "speed pass" that lets you shortcut the long lines everybody else is standing in for the most popular rides?  Well the rim was Space Mountain tonight and Sacramento's mommy and daddy sprang for the plastic so they could go first.  Derrick Williams and Quincy Acy started the procession.  The Blazers called a timeout to right the ship for about 2 minutes.  Then the Kings sent DeMarcus Cousins back in.  A tidal wave ensued.  Meanwhile Portland's offense struggled mightily in the latter half of the second, buoyed only by free throw trips.  Those charity tosses, plus a breakdown by the Kings' defense in the final minute of the period, disguised how badly the Blazers were faring.  Sacramento trimmed 6 off of Portland's first-quarter lead but the Blazers still walked into the locker room with a healthy 60 points scored and a 5-point advantage.

This was not to last.  The veil came off in the third period and the exposed picture wasn't very pretty.  Several factors combined to make this one of Portland's worst quarters of the season.  The Kings took advantage of mobility to harass Aldridge something fierce.  They doubled as he caught the ball, using a small to delay him.  Several times they sent more help in the form of Cousins, big and quick enough to close before Aldridge could react.  Once DeMarcus arrived on the scene they felt comfortable leaving him in single coverage for Aldridge to shoot over, sending the initial defenders back to their men.  All of this happened in the space of 5-6 seconds, not long enough for Aldridge to see his way out of trouble, let alone for Portland passes to find open targets.  Cousins and point guard Isaiah Thomas should be commended for their work in this regard.

With Aldridge all but out of the scoring picture the Blazers couldn't exert their customary defense-bending, open-shot-creating sets.  Every Trail Blazer had a hand in his face and on the rare occasions they didn't, they usually missed anyway.  Many sets devolved into guards dribbling frantically trying to escape for a clean look.  That's not Portland's game...at all.  Turnovers, a game-long problem, got magnified.  Offensive rebounds disappeared.  The refs weren't in the mood to bail out ugly.  Scoring ground to a complete halt.  With no Aldridge, no open jumpers, no free throws, no second-chance points, and no court control Portland managed only 13 points in the period.

On the other end Cousins and Rudy Gay began a long contest to see which would end up the leading scorer in tonight's game.  Cousins began the proceedings catching flat-footed beyond the foul line and hitting jumpers like he was in practice.  Anyone who's watched the Blazers for half a second this year knows what happened when Lopez had to move out to counter.  The lane opened up and didn't really close for the remainder of the game.  The Kings spent much of the third period shooting foul shots off of drives.  They also hit a couple long jumpers to make sure the court stayed spread.  In the fourth period they turned that spread court into a non-stop procession through the key.  In that closing quarter they'd hit 6 shots within 7 feet of the bucket and attempt 27 free throws.  Some of those were intentional as the Blazers played catch up; others were somewhat ticky-tack.  But the majority of them came because the Blazers could not keep anybody in front of them or, in the case of rebounding, behind them.  The Kings came from the top, from the elbow, from the baseline.  They found a warm welcome in the paint whichever way they approached.  The Blazers found themselves down by 7 at the end of the third and Sacramento's lead extended to 19 points as the fourth quarter progressed.

Aldridge, Damian Lillard, and Wesley Matthews all provided brief flurries to keep their team on life support and the refs looked more kindly on Portland's efforts in the fourth than they had in the third but the Blazers still trailed by a dozen with 1:57 remaining.  With the game all but over anyway, Lillard offered one last Horatius at the Bridge moment, chopping down Sacramento defenders left and right to the tune of 16 points in 2 minutes with an assist to Lopez for a couple more.  In the process he drained 3 triples and secured foul shots on a fourth, barely missing the shot and a four-point play in the process.  Unfortunately for the Blazers they had to foul in order to generate that many possessions in such a short time.  The Kings had been shaky from the line most of the night but they hit enough to keep the game from ever closing to a single possession with the ball in Portland's hands.  With the Big Scare averted, Sacramento walked away with the 123-119 victory.

Giving away 123 points to a team that averages fewer than 101 should tell you something about Portland's night.  Yes, the offense struggled...nearly died in that third period, in fact.  But the Blazers still shot 43% from the field and 37% from the arc (10-27 on threes).  That's below the usual standard but not fatally so.  But then you look across the board and see DeMarcus Cousins with 35 points, Rudy Gay with 32, Isaiah Thomas with 22 and you start to understand.  The Kings shot 47% from the field and the arc (7-15 on the latter).  50 free throws for Sacramento stick out like a sore thumb.  The Blazers attempted 36...also a huge number.  More importantly, the Kings hit only 36 of those attempts while Portland sank 31 of theirs, leaving the deficit only -5 at the stripe despite the disparity.  When you figure 8-10 of Sacramento's foul shot attempts came off of intentional fouls at the end of the game so Portland could regain possession, this game wasn't lost on the foul line.  Bad matchups, lack of team defense, lack of consistent glass control, and lack of a response to Sacramento pressure (outside of turnovers and hero ball) doomed the Blazers.

Individual Notes

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 tonight but looked as pained as he has against any defense this year.  He shot only 8-20, relieved by his 8-10 clip at the foul line as he made a concentrated effort to get inside in order to bail out his team's sputtering offense.  He did manage 5 assists but also committed 4 turnovers...an awkward night overall.  His 8 rebounds, 5 defensive, don't register as great but there wasn't much he could do on that end.  Everybody else was getting scored on so quickly his help was irrelevant,

Damian Lillard's close was amazing...a feat worthy of its own highlight reel.  He ended up with 41 points on 13-24 shooting, 7-13 from the arc.  This guy is hitting three-point shots that nobody's invented yet.  He also went a perfect 8-8 from the line and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists to his scoring.  All of that credit given, a couple disturbing trends have manifested over the last few weeks.  First, Lillard's attempts at true point guard play often end in slow passes and turnovers.  He accumulated 6 of the latter tonight.  Second, you can set your watch by the number of times he loses defensive containment and has to be replaced by Nicolas Batum or Wesley Matthews on a hot scorer.  Lillard had 5 personal fouls and few good defensive stands tonight.

Nicolas Batum was about the only Blazer exhibiting typical defense tonight.  Rudy Gay's scoring jag was not his fault.  Batum was busy putting out fires everywhere and collecting 10 defensive rebounds, 11 total.  The story on offense was mixed: 5 assists but 4 turnovers, 3-7 shooting and 11 points, some really nice plays mixed in with some odd ones in which a simple shot would have sufficed.  But at least Batum can play at a reasonable level when the world is falling apart around him.

Wesley Matthews showed up for about 4 minutes of this game.  That's not a description of effort as much as impact.  He was moving; it just didn't mean much.  He shot 3-12 from the field, 1-7 from the arc.  He missed open shots he usually makes in his sleep, including one down the stretch that could have turned the game.  6 rebounds were nice and he was the only significant Portland guard to go without a turnover but his defense was ineffective and, like the rest of his friends, he earned fewer gold stars than personal fouls on that end.

This was another "What do you want him to do?" night for Robin Lopez.  He scored 18 points on 7-13 shooting.  We've said this before but his positioning and technique are so precise on offense and on rebounds that he makes nearly every play he should and then some.  We saw a rare crack in the armor as the game wound to a close as Lopez let a couple plays get by him but those have been so infrequent this year that they actually surprised.  (And he was hardly alone in letting plays get by him tonight.  In fact having only a couple pretty much puts him at the head of the class in this game.)  On the other hand Lopez is no match for Cousins, nor Cousins' shooting, nor for what happens to his team's defense when he has to move more than 8 feet from the hoop.  This was a night when Lopez really could have used help and support from his teammates.  Instead they all jumped in the water with bowling balls around their feet and screamed for him to throw them a life ring.   Robin Lopez will do great work for you if you keep the wall around him solid.  If you crumble around him he cannot bail you out.  If you crumble around him on a night in which he's also facing Cousins you deserve what you get.

Mo Williams registered the usual Mo nigh with some variations: plenty of dribbling, 3-9 shooting for 9 points in 22 minutes, 6 assists, and not much defense.  He went low on the turnovers, dropping only 1.  He went high on the personal fouls, committing 5.  On this night the former was more of an aberration than the latter.

After watching this experiment for a couple weeks now, I am prepared to say that Meyers Leonard is an absolutely toxic combination when paired with Robin Lopez on defense.  Leonard doesn't know what he's doing and doesn't stop anybody even when he figures it out.  Lopez is too slow to cover for the kid's mistakes.  The Blazers are starting to get killed when that pairing is on the floor and no amount of jump-shooting from Leonard can cover it.  I'm not sure Leonard would pair better with anyone else on that end but at least Aldridge would be more mobile.  Leonard had 4 rebounds and 4 personal fouls in 8 minutes tonight.

Leonard's woes meant a brief return for Thomas Robinson as Coach Stotts fished for answers at the big positions.  His only alternative ended up being overtaxing Lopez because Robinson committed 3 fouls in just 4 minutes of play.

Long story short: there's plenty of Coach Stotts' bench that he just can't play for long, even against the Sacramentos of the world.

Will Barton ended up taking 9 minutes at guard tonight.  At least he didn't put the Kings into penalty foul shots singlehandedly.  He hit a 3 and zeroed out the rest of the stat line except for a foul.

The Blazers return home for a game against Orlando tomorrow night.  The losses to Philly and Sacramento shouldn't bother them on merit alone but we're seeing longer stretches of un-Blazer-like basketball lately: shots missing, confidence flagging, plays breaking down.  A win against the 10-24 Magic should be fairly automatic.  It'd be nice to have it accompanied by a return to true 2013-14 Trail Blazer style.

Boxscore

Timmay's Instant Recap and Gameday Thread Review

Sactown Royalty will consider this a crowning achievement for their team, no doubt.

Cross your fingers, but the scores for the Jersey Contest look accurate tonight and the form for tomorrow's game is ready to be filled out RIGHT HERE.

Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveDeckard and @Blazersedge.  Please help us send 1000 underprivileged kids to see a Blazers game on Blazer's Edge Night, 2014!

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

LaMarcus is on board with DeMarcus.

We've seen the video for it. We've seen Shaquille O'Neal and even Lebron James endorse it. Now, two-time All-Star forward for the Portland Trail BlazersLaMarcus Aldridge has weighed in: DeMarcus Cousins is an All-Star caliber player.

"He's definitely playing at an All-Star level right now, he's leading his team ... he's been dominant every night so he's definitely playing on that level right now," Aldridge told Sactown Royalty after the Kings defeated the Blazers 123-119 Tuesday night. "He's good. A very solid big, you know, he can dribble, shoot and go to the basket, he definitely leads their team so he's a really good player."

Cousins finished the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. On the season, Cousins is averaging 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game - all career highs.

While the Kings currently have an 11-22 record, his individual numbers don't lie: Cousins is currently fifth in the league in rebounds and sixth in scoring. The big fella does have his fair share of technicals (10 on the season so far), but he has figured out how to stay on the floor when the team needs him to be there, avoiding getting ejected or fouling out on a regular basis.

Head coach Michael Malone has no doubt that Cousins deserves to be an All-Star.

"I don't see one center in the entire NBA that does what DeMarcus Cousins does every night from scoring, facilitating, rebounding, getting to the foul line, making plays for his teammates," Malone told reporters on Tuesday. "I think what he does every night against some of the better teams and some of the better big men in the NBA warrants him to get a real, real honest look about being a first-time All-Star."

Boogie has some work to do based on the most recent results of NBA All-Star Balloting, which slotted him as 12th in the front court in the Western Conference. Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons are just some of the players currently ahead of him. Hmm. LaMarcus Aldridge is 6th.

For the various ways in which fans can vote, click here. Voting ends on Jan. 20 and the All-Star starters will be announced on Jan. 23.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• Kings vs. Blazers final score: Inexplicably, Sacramento beats Portland 123-119
• Kings vs. Trail Blazers Fan Predictions
• Kings vs. Blazers preview: Will the nets burn?
• The Bulls now own that Kings conditional draft pick due to Luol Deng trade
• Andre Miller and the Myth of Veteran Leadership

Sacramento bounced back from a couple of ugly losses to beat yet another top team. DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay led the way, but it was a total team effort.

I really don't understand this team.

— Dave Deuce Mason (@DeuceMason) January 8, 2014

Deuce says it all right here. This Kings team has me flummoxed. It's almost as if this team has two personalities, and we never know on any given night which one will show up.

Last night, the good Kings showed up and beat a very good Portland team in what was one of the better overall team efforts on the season. DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay were the premier players for Sacramento, but almost everybody who saw minutes contributed in some positive way towards this victory.

The Kings definitely came out with much more intensity to start the game than in the previous two games (both losses) of this home stand. Coach Michael Malone made a change to the starting lineup by putting in Marcus Thornton for rookie Ben McLemore. Thornton, while still inconsistent, had been playing better as of late, and I thought his early pressure on Portland's Wesley Matthews was tremendous in helping to set a tone. He also did a good job of hitting the glass, grabbing a season-high 8 rebounds.

The Kings had a weird first quarter in that I felt they were playing with good energy and intensity on the defensive end, getting a lot of deflections, pressuring the ball handler, etc. but they still gave up 35 points on excellent shooting. Portland's a good team, and their starters in particular are very comfortable playing with each other. It didn't help matters that the Kings were failing to secure rebounds after good defensive possessions, especially in that quarter. LaMarcus Aldridge was feeling it, even with Jason Thompson providing some good pressure. I really liked Thompson's activity on the defensive end all night, and give both him and DeMarcus Cousins a lot of credit in slowing Aldridge down after his torrid first half. Aldridge had 16 points in the first half, but just 8 the rest of the way (2 on 1-8 shooting in the 4th quarter). Malone was really good about continually throwing different looks at Aldridge, with even Gay seeing some time on him.

The second and third quarters are where Sacramento won this game. The bench unit came in to start the second quarter and brought the Kings back from their 11 point first quarter deficit. Derrick Williams seemed to embrace the bench scorer role, something I've been wanting to see ever since the Gay trade, and it paid big dividends. Williams finished with perhaps his best game off the bench for the Kings with 14 points and 5 rebounds in 31 minutes. Almost all of Williams points came from him attacking the basket, which also got him to the line 10 times.

Jimmer Fredette also continued to look more comfortable in his role as backup Point Guard, finding open teammates and taking good shots. Malone has been trusting Jimmer more and more as of late thanks to Jimmer's improved consistency.

Sacramento's defense really stepped up in the third quarter, where they held Portland to just 13 points to Sacramento's 25. Of those 25 points, all but two were scored by Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas. Early in the game, Thomas definitely looked like he was trying to facilitate more, but in the second half he began to look for his shot a bit more. Thomas finished with a near triple-double of 22 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds and most importantly no turnovers. For about 3 quarters, Thomas outplayed Damian Lillard (we'll get to that ridiculous 4th quarter shortly).

DeMarcus Cousins continued his dominant play against the Blazers. This was Cousins 8th 30 point game of the season, of which three have come against Portland. Cousins probably could have had 40+ points himself, but missed a few close shots that touched almost every part of the rim before popping out. He also was uncharacteristically bad at the line, going just 9-15. Portland even tried a "Hack-a-Cousins" strategy at one point, and Cousins responded to the disrespect by swishing both.

Gay was also phenomenal with his best two-way game as a Sacramento King. Defensively, he saw time against Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge and held his own in each matchup. Offensively, he was something else, and caught fire early in the fourth quarter where he, along with Derrick Williams, broke the game open for Sacramento. Gay scored 11 points in the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter to push Sacramento's lead all the way to 18 points. This is about the time that the game should have been over, but it wasn't, because of two things: Damian Lillard and the officials.

Let's start with the officials. I have a theory that the NBA sent their refs in need of training/seasoning to Sacramento for this home stand because over the last three games the officiating has been appalling. In the previous two games, the Kings defense actually managed to be worse than the officials so it wasn't really a deciding factor. Last night it almost was, as the refs blew several important calls that nearly cost the Kings the game. Wes Matthews got away with a travel to draw a foul on Gay. Gay got called for his sixth foul for barely touching Batum off the ball. The most egregious error was of course when Damian Lillard drew three free throws after getting fouled by Isaiah Thomas with 16 seconds to go and Sacramento up by 5. Lillard pump faked, but Isaiah went to the side rather than jump straight up. Lillard deliberately jumped into Thomas to draw contact and the refs called it for three shots, cutting the game to just two. Fortunately the Kings were able to make their own free throws in response and Lillard then missed a couple threes in a row to end the game.

There were 86 combined free throws in this game. Portland had 36 and the Kings had a whopping 50. I'm not sure what the record for most free throws in a game is, but this has to be up there, at least in the Sacramento-era.

Speaking of records, Damian Lillard set an arena record and Blazers franchise record for most points in a quarter with his ridiculous performance. Lillard had been relatively quiet for most of the game but he absolutely erupted in the fourth. He began hitting three after three after three. As a fan in the arena, it was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. Lillard scored 26 points in the quarter to finish with 41 (a career-high) and nearly brought Portland back from that 18 point deficit by himself. Good thing we drafted Thomas Robinson ahead of him! Seriously though, if I had been in Petrie's seat, I probably would have done the same thing. Lillard has been way better than I ever thought he could be and he'll be a star in this league for years to come.

The Kings now get a couple days off before finishing off this home stand with games against the Magic and the Cavaliers. Hopefully, the good Kings show up again and for once take care of business against bad teams at home.

Random Observations:

• Of Sacramento's 11 wins, 8 of them have come against teams that are .500 or better. Yeah, I don't get it either.
• Quincy Acy is guilty of bringing the ball down when he catches it instead of going up strong. But man, when he does go up strong, it's awesome. His driving dunk in the second quarter electrified the arena.
• I'm not too upset at Ben McLemore's demotion. I understand Malone's reasoning for it, and as long as he still gets significant minutes I'm fine with it. I think it was the plan all along to bring Ben slowly off the bench this year, but it was thrown out of whack when Marcus Thornton had the horrific start he had.
• My New Year's Resolution to Marcus Thornton is to only shoot the ball when he catches it squared to the basket. Too often he catches it and shoots before he's square and it usually results in a miss.
• We should probably never have any possessions that end in an Aaron Gray post-up.
• I hope to see more Quincy Acy/Isaiah Thomas photobombs going forward.
• The Kings played a couple of big lineups last night with Rudy Gay at the shooting guard and Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson and Cousins up front.  I thought it actually worked alright, although it might not work against most teams.

Details begin to emerge on what exactly the Kings are willing to give to acquire Andre Miller.

The Kings interest in Denver guard Andre Miller is well known, and now Ken Berger reports that the Kings are offering at least three packages to Denver for his services.

From Ken Berger:

The Kings have offered Marcus Thornton and a future second-round pick as the framework of a deal for Miller, and have presented a package including Jimmer Fredette and a future second as an alternative, two people familiar with the scenarios said Wednesday. Those people familiar with the terms of those offers did not know the third scenario presented by Sacramento, but executives gathered here for the D-League Showcase surmised that it likely involves forward Jason Thompson.

In the last article we wrote regarding the Kings and Andre Miller, I surmised that there were three likely trade scenarios and stand by it. These are the scenarios (disregarding future second rounders):

1. Travis Outlaw and Jimmer Fredette for Miller - The Kings need to add salary if they trade Jimmer, and because they can't trade Acy or Gray in combination with another player, the only possible candidate is Outlaw.

2. Marcus Thornton for Miller and Anthony Randolph - We would need to get something back from Denver to satisfy salary differences.  There are several Nuggets that could fit here but I think the Nuggets would be most willing to part with Randolph.

3. Jason Thompson for Miller straight up - Salaries match.  Nuggets take on more long term salary but get a quality rotation big whose contract isn't too crazy.

We'll see if the Nuggets bite on any of these offers, or if they search for another deal from someone else.

The Sacramento Kings have offered three trade options to the Denver Nuggets in the hopes of acquiring point guard Andre Miller.

The Sacramento Kings have thrown three trade scenarios at the wall in hopes one will convince the Denver Nuggets to trade disgruntled point guard Andre Miller. CBS Sports' Ken Berger reports that the Kings have offered a combination of shooting guard Marcus Thornton and a second-round pick or point guard Jimmer Fredette and a second-round pick to the Nuggets.

The third trade proposal coming from Sacramento involves big man Jason Thompson, though Berger and his sources were only guessing and did not know specifics of that scenario.

Denver has been seeking a trade partner for Miller since the New Year. Miller verbally attacked Nuggets coach Brian Shaw during a game on Jan. 1, was suspended for two games and is now on paid leave. Miller is averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 assists per game this year and became upset with Shaw because of a benching.

Thornton is currently starting over the Kings' first-round draft pick, Ben McLemore, and Berger's NBA sources theorize it's because they're hoping to showcase the guard before trading him. Thornton is averaging 8.4 points per game, but in his last three years was a double-digit scorer.

Fredette has averaged 11 minutes per game this year, so his loss would be relatively non-impactful to the Kings.

On the other side of things, the Kings would have immediate use for Miller, who could be paired with current starting point guard Isaiah Thomas. Sacramento lost its point guard depth when it traded Greivis Vasquez to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that made Rudy Gay a King.

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• O'Donnell: Bulls dumping Luol Deng proves business isn't always pretty

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On the one year anniversary of the Woj tweet that changed the world (or maybe just Sacramento), we have a wide variety of things to share. From the media's opinions on the possibility of DeMarcus Cousins making the all star game, to the city council's vote on eminent domain, to former King Doug Christie's visit to North Korea. We even have an in depth breakdown of Isaiah and Quincy's videobomb on DeMarcus!

NBA.com: A few members of the media discussed whether DeMarcus Cousins should be an All Star or not on Sekou Smith's Hangtime Blog. There were mixed answers. Some think he should be a shoe in, while others just feel it is too crowded in the west. The ones who bring up record bug me. This is the All Star game. Playoffs is where records are rewarded. If Carmelo didn't make it you know people would be upset. Reward this man for all the work he has put in this year.

While you are at it, go ahead and click here to vote for all your favorite Kings. (You can even write in Travis Outlaw!)

KTXL: The city council has approved a plan for eminent domain at the former Macy's site in downtown. KTXL has some details on the plan. Hopefully this can be executed as painlessly and controversy free as possible.

SacBee: Former King Doug Christie is among a group of six former NBA players and 4 street ball players that played in a much publicized game in North Korea. Outside of Dennis Rodman, who clearly will befriend anyone at this point, I want to believe that the other nine players are truly there to play for the people of North Korea. That said, it is a joke that this game happened. These guys need to do some homework. If they had done some, they would know there's really no goodwill in this game, and it is just a vanity project by Kim-Jong Un.

USAToday: The folks at the FTW section of USA Today painstakingly broke down the videobomb that Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Acy did to DeMarcus Cousins.

Yahoo Sports: One year ago today many of us read this article or one like it that changed everything. Can not believe it has been a year since the whole fiasco began. To see how far we have come, both as fans, and as a city, is truly amazing, and there is still more to do! Amazing what you can do when facing a "first and goal"

ESPN: Tragedy struck as former Kings favorite Vlade Divac's father passed away at 77 in a single car accident. His mother was also in the car, and suffered some injuries herself. Terrible to see this happen to Vlade. Such a great guy who cared so much for his family. I will never forget his first years here how bad things were in his home country and how involved he was with his parents still over there.

Jimmer is one of the most polarizing players we have ever seen on the Kings. It seems that people either love him with an unwavering passion, or can't stand the sight of him. Here we try to break down his game to decide what kind of player he really is, and answer the question "Who is Jimmer Fredette?"

I cannot think of a more polarizing presence on a Kings roster than Jimmer Fredette has been. It seems like there is no middle ground for him among Kings fans. On one end there are people that think he would be a nightmare shooter that could help us nightly with the right minutes and in the right rotation, and on the other end you have the people that do not him within 10 miles of the court. The ones who love him will give him a little leeway if he struggles, as they feel he doesn't play enough to always be on his A game. The second group will dissect any little mistake as to why he is a terrible basketball player. But which one is he? Let's take a look:

The Scorer.

No one can deny this kids shooting ability. As the 76ers game showed, there is no doubt Jimmer can score at will when he is feeling it. That is the Jimmer I like seeing. A confident Jimmer is a valuable Jimmer. Aside from the unlimited range that everyone knows about, he has shown an ability to hit those runners when he gets going. It is no surprise that this is his number one appeal as a basketball player. I feel last year was when he best showcased it, and was the time when the Jimmer lovers had the strongest argument that he needed more playing time. As a fan, there was nothing more frustrating than when he would have a great first half, only to rot on the bench until the Kings were down 20. Keith Smart had a bad habit of doing this time and time again. On the other side, I do feel this year he has taken more time to grow comfortable, as I feel that, at the beginning of this season especially, he went in to games trying too hard to impress the coaches and didn't let his game come to him. He still is having an issue with this occasionally. I think the coaches would love nothing less than for him to go into BYU mode and take any open shot he sees. He never needs to force the issue. Even though he plays limited minutes, I have seen very few guys with his role that still get picked up full court. Teams respect his scoring ability.

The Defender.

Jimmer's struggles on defense have been well documented among Kings fans, and while he certainly struggles, especially against the quicker, athletic guards, I feel that it is unfair at times to pin all of it on Jimmer. He most definitely needs to improve his defense, but there are plenty of guards who have gotten away with lackluster defense. Steve Nash has two MVPs, and as Kings fans, we did have Mike Bibby for years. Mike Bibby and Jimmer have similar defensive ratings to each other, with Bibby's being just slightly lower. Jimmer's main problem on D seems to be keeping up with his man, especially the slashers. When he is able to stay with his man. I actually am impressed with his ability to stay on the ball (considering his reputation), when he is staying with his man. Jimmer is not a good defender, but neither is anyone on this team.

The Play Maker.

Jimmer is not a Point Guard. I know everyone, a lot of coaches included, will automatically play anyone under 6'4 at the 1 spot, but a lot of them just aren't Point Guards. That said, I feel Jimmer can be a great playmaker still when he is able to create with lineups that are able to spread the floor. One of the most underutilized and understated things about Jimmer so far in his young career is his chemistry with DeMarcus Cousins. These guys, while they do not play together often, always seem to work well off of each other, as Jimmer keeps the floor spread much more than Isaiah Thomas does. It seems like the few times they do play together, it always seems to result in a good run. This is when Jimmer is best utilized as a play maker. It is hard to be a great play maker when you are out there with our bench. Now, I will not say this is always the excuse, however. Going back to what I said about Jimmer trying too hard to impress the coaches, I feel that is a big problem at times, especially in the turnover department. If there is one fault I see in his game, it is most definitely when he tries to get too fancy with the ball and passes it right to the other team. Again though, in his defense, he is far from the only one who has this problem on our team.

The Player.

So what type of player is Jimmer? Is he the valuable piece that unfairly rides the pine, or is he the cancer that should never leave the pine. The answer is... both. There are certain games where he should not get many minute, like games against guys like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, but in a lot of other games, he deserves a chance, something I think Malone has been good at for the most part. I feel the main thing is getting him in there with the right lineups. The best way to find out, in my opinion, is to give him a shot with the starters. Ben McLemore is struggling, and some changes need to come, and this could be the way to help both of them break out. I don't expect Jimmer to be the next big thing but I also don't see why he can't be on the same level, if not better, than players like J.J. Redick and Kyle Korver if given the right chance with the right people around him.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• Kings Links: Anniversary Edition!
• Report: Kings Offer Thornton or Fredette for Andre Miller
• Kings come together as a unit to beat the Trail Blazers
• LaMarcus Aldridge says DeMarcus Cousins is worthy of All-Star nod
• Kings vs. Blazers final score: Inexplicably, Sacramento beats Portland 123-119

Report says petition signature verification process may need to start over because anti-arena group turned in up to eight different versions.

There are quite a few things to catch up on regarding the new downtown Sacramento arena.

Here we go.

STOP's (Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork) petition to put the financing plan for the arena on the November ballot may be in more trouble. According to Aaron Bruski of NBC Universal, the group turned in up to eight different versions of the petition, which could cause the signature verification process to be restarted.

Breaking - Sac arena petition counting to restart as petitions to be segregated by at least eight different petition types.

— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) January 9, 2014

STOP initially claimed only 2 versions. However, upon close review, as many as 8 or more different versions have been identified.

— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) January 9, 2014

On Monday, a letter was released from an attorney with The4000 group that called STOP's petitions into question. The letter suggested that STOP turned in at least five different versions of the petition last month to the city of Sacramento and violated election code.

On Thursday, City Clerk, Shirley Concolino, would neither confirm nor deny the report about there being eight different versions, but told Sactown Royalty, "we always have the option of evaluating the process as things progress dependent upon findings." Should the process need to be restarted, Concolino said that would not change the timeframe in which the verification process would need to be completed. That means a final count/decision would still need to be made on the petition by 5 p.m. on Jan. 23.

Interestingly, the county, which has been providing daily updates on the signature verification numbers, sent an e-mail out Thursday saying, "There will be no update tonight - we will continue with the updates tomorrow."

Jill LaVine, county registrar of voters, has confirmed there are different versions, but has not said how many.

On Wednesday, LaVine reported that 8,518 of STOP's signatures had been checked. Of those, 5,767 were valid, or 67.7 percent. They would need a 62 percent validity rate (22,000 valid signatures) for it to qualify for the ballot.

STOP turned in around 35,200 signatures in December.

The STOP campaign has been riddled with suspicion. It was largely funded with a $100,000 donation from Seattle's Chris Hansen and questions have been raised about the way in which the signatures were collected dating back several months.

The news of there being eight different versions of the petition may change things considerably moving forward if the counting process does indeed restart. And there is a strong chance this thing could end up in the courts.

Sources increasingly sense that this is headed for court. Too many red flags and inconsistencies creating doubt and concern.

— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) January 9, 2014

Speaking of the courts, News10's Nick Monacelli first reported on Thursday that a final ruling will be made in the coming days over a lawsuit filed by attorneys Jeff Anderson and Patrick Soluri over the arena financing plan. The attorneys are accusing the city of  "secret deals" involved in the arena term sheet and City Councilman Kevin McCarty is caught up in it.

No decision yet. Lawyers say arena term sheet done fraudulently. Want to depose McCarty. Tentative ruling against City. Final on Fri or Mon

— Nick Monacelli (@nickmonacelli) January 9, 2014

Here is Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee with more.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge today told arena deal foes he will decide in the next few days whether to allow them to question City Councilman Kevin McCarty under oath to support their contention that there was a secret deal between some city officials and the new Kings ownership group to help it buy the team.

City officials contend there is no such secret deal, and that McCarty should not be compelled to testify for what a city attorney called a waste of time. Arena deal opponents, however, argued in court Thursday that they believe McCarty and at least one other city official, Economic Development Director Jim Rinehart, may be able to provide evidence that the city tossed some secret "sweeteners" into its agreement with the Kings to jointly finance a $448 million downtown arena.

Here's Dawn McIntosh, an attorney representing the city, on the lawsuit, via The Bee.

Dawn McIntosh of the Meyers Nave law firm, ripped into Soluri's assertions in the court hearing, saying his efforts are "a waste of everyone's time."

"There is simply no fraud here," she said.

To view the tentative ruling, click here.

Also on Thursday, the city of Sacramento filed an eminent domain lawsuit to take control of the old Macy's building (600 K Street) in Downtown Plaza for the arena. This was expected as the Sacramento City Council voted 7-2 in favor of the move on Tuesday.

Our own Robby Biegler returns to the show to talk about anything and everything about the Kings. And probably a lot of stuff unrelated to the Kings.

The Sactown Royalty Show is back! This week I'm joined by Sactown Royalty's own Robby Biegler. Biegler, as you should know from his previous appearances, is a fantastic guest. This episode was no exception, outside of a quick technology hiccup in the opening minute of the show.

With Biegler, you never really know what topics you might cover, and we ended up covering a lot.  We talked about the Kings recent struggles, Rudy Gay's recent performance, whether or not DeMarcus Cousins will be an All-Star, Maloof product lines, and how Andre Miller would fit with the team.

We, naturally, went off on some tangents.  We learned about Robby's habit of getting drunk in the parking lot of AM/PM, ditching his friends in bars, and why Robby's next pet will be named Round Table.  We had fun.  Check it out.

Like the show? Subscribe to us on iTunes or on Stitcher! Leave us ratings, leave comments, let us know how we're doing. Ratings and comments on iTunes really help us out with promoting the show. And of course, continue the discussion in the comments below.

As always, thanks for listening.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• Who Is Jimmer Fredette?
• Kings Links: Anniversary Edition!
• Report: Kings Offer Thornton or Fredette for Andre Miller
• Kings come together as a unit to beat the Trail Blazers
• LaMarcus Aldridge says DeMarcus Cousins is worthy of All-Star nod

Beyond the NBA, several former Purdue players are having great seasons overseas.

We're all aware of our three Boilers playing in the NBA, but those three are hardly the only former basketball players getting paid for their talents now. Several players are plying their trade over in Europe and have been for several years. In the spirit of tracking the NFL players that Thomas did during the season here is an update on how the pro basketball boilers are doing.

Carl Landry - Sacramento Kings - Landry is expected to return from injury soon and get his first playing time of the season.

Robbie Hummel - Minnesota Timberwolves - Rob is in and out of the rotation, sometimes playing as much as 20 minutes and sometimes not playing at all. He I averaging 11.1 minutes per game in 27 minutes and 2.9 points per game. Twice this season he has reached double figures with 10 points each against Philadelphia on December 11^th and Cleveland on November 13^th. Both of those were wins.

E`Twaun Moore - Orlando Magic - Smooge is playing a little more than Rob and is a regular rotation member in Orlando with three starts. He is averaging 19.1 minutes and 5.8 points per game, but has had a handful of big games. His best was a 14-point game in a 101-99 loss to Miami on November 23^rd. He was 4 for 4 from three in that game.

D.J. Byrd - Kirchheim (Germany) - D.J.'s first season in Europe has nee a success as he is averaging 12.4 points per game for Kirchheim. He is shootings an excellent 42% from three and 88% from the line too. Kirchheim is 9-7, and the league is the Pro A league, which is the second level on the German pro pyramid. Like European soccer, the top two teams in the Pro A league can win promotion to the basketball Bundesliga for the next season.

Chris Kramer - EWE Baskets Oldenburg (Germany) - Kramer's team played in the Basketball Bundesliga, which is the top level in Germany, so Kramer won't face off against Byrd at least this year. Oldenburg likely won't get relegated to the Pro A league either, as they were the German runner-up last season. That was good enough for them to reach the qualifying round of the EuroLeague (think UEFA Champions League, but for basketball) when they lost in the second round to a Lithuanian team. So far this season Kramer's team is 10-5 and in a playoff position. Kramer is averaging 9.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Chris Booker - Krka (Slovenia) - Booker, who derailed the 2003-04 season by getting himself academically ineligible after Purdue started strong, is still kicking around over in Europe. He is averaging 7.7 points in 25 minutes per night in the Slovenian league, which I didn't even know existed before today.

Nemanja Calasan - Vichy (France) - Chally was one of my favorite players in his time at Purdue because he was a JuCo guy that came in and filled an important rolled exactly as we needed. He's a professional over in France for Vichy, averaging 12.4 points per game in five games. I figured he would have success in European since he grew up playing the European style.

Willie Deane - Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) - Willie Deane was a gunner in his day at Purdue and he is still playing over in Europe. In nine games this season he is averaging an impressive 18.1 points per game. As his team's point guard he is also dropping 6.2 assists per game.

Keaton Grant - Ludwigsburg (Germany) - Germany is a popular place for European Purdue basketball players. Ludwigsburg plays in the Basketball Bundesliga as well, and Keaton has already faced off against Kramer once this season on November 2^nd. Kramer's team won 90-86, but Keaton had 17 points to Kramer's 2. Ludwigsburg is currently 8-8 and is just outside the playoff picture. Keaton is averaging 15.3 points per game.

Lewis Jackson - Erie BayHawks (NBA D-League) - LewJack might be the closest Purdue player to the NBA as he plays in the D-League for the Erie Bayhawks, who are directly affiliated with the New York Knicks. As we have seen, however, the Knicks don't know jack shit about player development or bringing in the right guys, so LewJack needs a new organization. LewJack has played in 10 games so far and is averaging 9.8 points 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

JaJuan Johnson - Giorgo Tesi PT (Italy) - JJ has had a busy few seasons as he has moved from former First round draft pick, to the D-League where he played with three teams in one season, and now the Italian League. He is having a good year at 14.1 points, and 7.1 rebounds per game in 29.3 minutes per night. His team is 6-8 in the top Italian League.

Scott Martin - Newcastle Eagles (England) - The wounds have healed and he is no longer The Traitor. Martin played for Purdue, so we accept as a pro. Despite injuries ending his collegiate career early he has resurfaced in England, where he is averaging 18.3 points per game for an 11-4 team in the British Basketball League.

Brandon McKnight - LrMNKY (Finland) - Yes, there is a Finnish professional basketball league and Brandon McKnight, the 2005 Purdue grad, is still playing there. He is even thriving at 17.9 points per game in 15 games. His team is 5-15, but McKnight is the starting point guard and also averages 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

David Teague - Bohemios (Uruguay) - Stepping away from Europe for a moment, Teague is playing down in Uruguay for a team that is 3-3 on a young season. Teague is averaging 15.6 points per game in five games.

Chris Lutz - Petron Blaze (Philippines) - Lutz was a transfer away from the program like Martin above and finished his career at Marshall, but has turned it into a decent overseas professional career. He is averaging 15.4 points per game in 10 games this season for an 8-3 team. Lutz also has Filipino ancestry, which likely led to him playing professionally there.

Gary Ware - St. Polten (Austria) - The final player on the list is another forgotten player from the unfortunate end of coach Keady's tenure in West Lafayette. He has played in 16 games in the Austrian league this year and is averaging 14.8 points per game.

You know the drill.

A crummy opponent, the Magic, has arrived, which means the Kings are probably going to lose (7 p.m. Pacific, Comcast SportsNet). Like clockwork.

NUMBER OF IMPORT

109.7. That's the points per 100 possessions the Kings are now giving up on the season. That is also the highest figure in the league. The Kings now have the worst defense in the NBA. Huh.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Tobias Harris vs. Rudy Gay

Harris won the battle when the teams met in Orlando last month, but the Kings won the war as Isaiah Thomas dominated Jameer Nelson and Marcus Thornton provided a spark. Harris is one of several flavors of small forwards who gives Gay trouble on the defensive. Honestly, I'm struggling to identify opponents Gay doesn't struggle to defend.

3 THINGS

1. The defense is almost too bad to fret about. It's hysterically bad. I get asked a lot about the why. The Kings have a coach who is said to focus on defense. Why is it so bad? Well, I can't identify a single good defender in the rotation. That's a problem. Buuuuuuut ... the Magic have just the No. 26 offense in the NBA. So maybe there's a chance for one night of redemption.

2. Something a bit odd about the Kings offense is that they have two of the league's better high-frequency three-point shooters (Isaiah and Jimmer Fredette) but still rank in the bottom 10 in deep shooting. That's due to the struggles of Thornton, Ben McLemore, Greivis Vasquez and now Gay out there.

3. DeMarcus Cousins scored just 14 points in Orlando. That's just one of three games in which he scored less than 20 points since December 1. Look for a bigger night.

PREGAME HAIKU

Yes! It is magic!
How else can you explain how
the Kings beat good teams?

PREDICTION

Kings 130, Magic 129.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• The Sactown Royalty Show Ep 30: rbiegler is back!
• Arena update - STOP's possible petition recount and more
• Who Is Jimmer Fredette?
• Kings Links: Anniversary Edition!
• Report: Kings Offer Thornton or Fredette for Andre Miller

It's Prediction Time!

Link to The Leaderboard

Below are a series of prediction questions for tonight's game. The first four questions will be asked every game, while the 5th will change each game.

Point value for predictions are listed next to the questions. If you believe that more than one player will lead a category, you can vote for multiple players, and this is worth double points if you are correct, but zero if you are wrong. Alternately, if you only guess one player when multiple players are tied, you get zero points.

All submissions must be input before tip-off. Any submissions after tip-off will not count. You are allowed only one submission and may not change unless specifically stated.

Questions:

1. Who do you think will win the game, and what will the final score be? (1 point for guessing winner. 2 points for guessing winner and correct score of one team. 5 points for guessing winner and exact score)

2. Who will be the game's leading scorer? (1 point for guessing scorer, 2 points for guessing exact points scored)

3. Who will be the game's leading rebounder? (1 point for guessing rebounder, 2 points for guessing exact rebounds)

4. Who will be the game's leading assist man? (1 point for guessing assist man, 2 points for guessing exact assists)

5. Predict Victor Oladipo and Ben McLemore's combined Points, FGA and 3PM. (1 point for one right answer, 3 points for two right, 5 points for all right)

Entering Friday's showdown with Sacramento, the Magic have dropped their last five games.

The Orlando Magic look to avoid tying a season-high six-game losing streak Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

Tipoff between Orlando and Portland is set for 10:00 PM Eastern on Fox Sports Florida and ESPN 580 AM in Orlando. The Orlando Pinstriped Post GameThread will appear at 8:00 PM in this StoryStream and on the cover.

Orlando's last time out: The Magic led the Portland Trail Blazers by four points after three periods on Wednesday, but Portland took command with a 39-point outburst in the fourth quarter to rout Orlando by a 110-94 margin. Arron Afflalo scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half for the Magic.

Sacramento's last time out: The Kings improved to 5-8 with new forward Rudy Gay in the lineup Tuesday with a 123-89 victory over Portland. Gay scored 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while DeMarcus Cousins had a monster night with 35 points, 13 boards, two assists, a steal, two blocks, and just two turnovers.

The last meeting: On December 21st, the Kings used an 18-4 run to start the fourth quarter to upset the Magic in Orlando, 105-100. Isaiah Thomas and Gay scored 23 apiece to lead the Kings, helping the visitors triumph despite 26 from Afflalo and 21 from Tobias Harris.

More from Orlando Pinstriped Post

Follow @OPPMagicBlogFollow @SBNationNBA

• OPP Mailbag: Outlining Draft assets
• Report: Magic GM supports Jacque Vaughn
• OPP Mailbag: Is Andrew Bynum a fit for Orlando?
• Report: Magic send Nik Vučević home
• Blazers rally in fourth to top Magic

Orlando's Western roadtrip continues as it opens a back-to-back set in Sacramento.

The Orlando Magic look to avoid tying a season-high six-game losing streak Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

Tipoff between Orlando and Portland is set for 10:00 PM Eastern on Fox Sports Florida and ESPN 580 AM in Orlando. The Orlando Pinstriped Post GameThread will appear at 8:00 PM in this StoryStream and on the cover.

Orlando's last time out: The Magic led the Portland Trail Blazers by four points after three periods on Wednesday, but Portland took command with a 39-point outburst in the fourth quarter to rout Orlando by a 110-94 margin. Arron Afflalo scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half for the Magic.

Sacramento's last time out: The Kings improved to 5-8 with new forward Rudy Gay in the lineup Tuesday with a 123-89 victory over Portland. Gay scored 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while DeMarcus Cousins had a monster night with 35 points, 13 boards, two assists, a steal, two blocks, and just two turnovers.

The last meeting: On December 21st, the Kings used an 18-4 run to start the fourth quarter to upset the Magic in Orlando, 105-100. Isaiah Thomas and Gay scored 23 apiece to lead the Kings, helping the visitors triumph despite 26 from Afflalo and 21 from Tobias Harris.

More from Orlando Pinstriped Post

Follow @OPPMagicBlogFollow @SBNationNBA

• OPP Mailbag: Outlining Draft assets
• Report: Magic GM supports Jacque Vaughn
• OPP Mailbag: Is Andrew Bynum a fit for Orlando?
• Report: Magic send Nik Vučević home
• Blazers rally in fourth to top Magic

After a poor showing against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, the Pacers answered the call by soundly defeating the Wizards for the second time this season.

The Wizards came into Friday night's game having won six of their last seven games on the road. However, after a poor showing in Atlanta, the Pacers came in ready to halt Washington's chances of posting their longest road win streak in six seasons. In a game that was mostly filled with bad offense, the Pacers defense held the Wizards to a season low 66 points on just 32.1% shooting. The game was tied at 18 after the first quarter, but the Pacers steadily were able to build-up their lead by winning each subsequent quarter due to a combination of superb team defense and poor Wizards' offense.

The Pacers held the Wizards to an abysmal field goal percentage of just 32.1% (the Wizard's season average is 44.7%; the team's season low was 36%). Having scored a mere 31 field goals, the Wizards leading scorer was Bradley Beal with 17 points. Beal knocked down 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc, but any hot shooting from Washington stopped there. George Hill did a masterful job of limiting franchise point guard, John Wall, to just 13 points (4/15 from the field; 1/3 from three) and only three assists.

For the Pacers, David West broke free from his mini shooting slump going 5-of-5 from the field in the first half. West finished the game with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Meanwhile, the Pacers got solid contributions off the bench from CJ Watson and Luis Scola who scored a combined 26 points. Watson's 11 point scoring punch in the fourth quarter helped to keep the Wizards at bay. Paul George continued to struggled from the field going just 2-of-14 from the field and 0-of-2 from three. While in the midst of a scoring drought, PG found other ways to impact the game by recording 6 assists and grabbing 14 rebounds. Lance Stephenson returned to action tonight after missing one game with a knee contusion. Looking fully energized, Born Ready finished the game with a double-double posting 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

As a team the Pacers were able to out rebound the Wizards by 20, grabbing a total of 61 boards. On a night where the team shot below their season average from the field and made just 13-of-22 free throws (59%), the Pacers still were able to come out of the game with a "W," pushing their home record to 18-1 on the season. The Pacers next game is Tuesday at home against the Sacramento Kings.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse continued to be a house of horrors for the Washington Wizards on Friday evening. The Pacers held the Wizards to a season low field goal percentage of just 32.1% and 35.7% from three. Couple that with Washington's terrible free throw shooting, and it is clear why the Pacers came away with the 93-66 victory at home.

The Wizards came into Friday night's game posting just a 1-12 record versus teams with records equal to or better than .500. Consequently, any attempt to earn their first significant win of the season against the team in the Eastern Conference with, not only the league's best record, but the best home record would prove to be a tall order. Having not won there since April 18, 2007, Bankers Life Fieldhouse continued to be, on Friday, for Washington what Philips Arena, was on Wednesday, and has been to the Pacers since 2006 - a house of horrors.

Both teams started off the contest slowly, but the Pacers could not manage to score through nearly the first three minutes of the game. Collectively, both teams went a horrid 16-of-50 (32%) from the field in the first frame. The score was tied-up at 18 after one, but David West's eight points, on 4-of-4 shooting, was really the only bright spot for the Pacers' offense in a quarter that had Paul George shoot 1-of-7 from the field and Roy Hibbert go 1-of-5. Fortunately for the Pacers, Indiana's poor shooting was matched by Washington's putrid effort with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Trevor Ariza starting off the game by going a combined 3-of-14 from the field.

After the first quarter, the Wizards offensive struggles continued in what was likely caused by the combination of more subpar shooting and superb Pacers' defense. In the second quarter, the Pacers were able to build-up an eight point lead by outscoring the Wizards 27-19, while limiting them to just eight field goals. The opportunity was there to push the lead to double digits heading into the second half, but Danny Granger picked up an offensive foul (his third personal of the night) on the Pacers' final possession of the second quarter. Notably, both teams looked in dire need of some free throw practice after the second frame in which both squads combined to go just 8-of-24 from the charity stripe.

Although the Wizards had numerous shots clank off the rim and bounce off the side of the backboard, the second half was really all about the Pacers' smashmouth brand of basketball. In the third quarter, the Pacers grabbed 18 rebounds to Washington's 11 and limited the Wizards to a stingy 14 points on just 25% shooting (5-of-20). On the Pacers' side, the team assisted on six of their nine field goals in the quarter and pushed their lead to 18 - the largest of the night. Lance Stephenson had the opportunity to put Indiana up by twenty on what looked to be an and-1, but the referees waived off the shot, and instead whistled Born Ready for an offensive foul. Not liking the call, the Pacers' mercurial guard picked up a technical foul (Note: Frank Vogel picked up a technical in the first quarter arguing what he believed should have been a trip to the free throw line for Paul George). Nevertheless, even with Lance's emotional hijinks, the Pacers still limited the Wizards to just 51 points through three quarters and were able to close the frame up 65-51.

In the fourth, Granger opened the frame with his first points of the night putting the score at 67-51. However, after the Wizards strung together six straight points thus cutting the lead back to ten, it appeared that Washington might be able to hang around. In the midst of this mini-run by Washington, Pacers' reserve point guard, CJ Watson, came up big off the bench immediately hitting an elbow jump shot to build the lead back-up to twelve. Shortly after, Watson nailed a three pushing the Pacers' lead to fifteen. After a Scola lay-in, Randy Wittman was forced to call a timeout in an effort to stop the bleeding. Following the timeout, CJ splashed in another shot resulting in him scoring eleven points in the fourth quarter. From there on out, control of the game belonged solely to the Pacers, which allowed Frank Vogel to pull his starters and insert Donald Sloan, Chris Copeland, Orlando Johnson, and Rasual Butler for the final minutes of the contest.

Impressively, the Pacers held the Wizards to just 66 points and a season-low 32.1% shooting from the field. In keeping with their smashmouth style, Indiana out rebounded Washington by 20, grabbing 61 boards to their 41. Notably, per NBA.com, prior to tonight's match-up, the Wizards were 5-1 when Marcin Gortat recorded 12 or more rebounds. On Friday, Gortat managed to corral only nine boards. The Pacers also pounded the Wizards in terms of points in the paint, once again, coincidentally, by a margin of 20.

Throughout the entire contest, the Pacers did a superb job of getting deflections, challenging every shot, and running shooters off the three point line. Most notably, George Hill held John Wall to only 13 points (six points below his season average) and three assists. After the game, Paul George revealed that Frank Vogel, once again, repeated his practice of showing the team clips of Wall torching the Pacers for 40+ points last season in order to emphasize the need to slow the potential All-Star guard in transition - or, build a wall against Wall.

On a night where he shot just 2-of-14 from the field, Paul George had to find other ways to impact the game besides scoring. In what seems to be becoming a bit of a pattern (with his 28 point performance against the Hawks being an exception), PG struggled to get into any rhythm offensively. Seemingly the only easy basket of the game for George was a dunk off a lob pass midway through the third quarter. Heading into tonight's game, PG had been mired in a bit of shooting slump making only 39 of his last 104 field goals, good for a mark of just 37.5%. Scoring only eight points, George's streak of 35 consecutive games in double figures came to a close on Friday. Nevertheless, Paul did not let his scoring draught get the best of him. Although not in his usual fashion, he still contributed to the team's win by grabbing a season high 14 rebounds coupled with six assists.

David West, another player trying to regain his offensive mojo, came up big for the Pacers. After scoring in single digits in six of his last seven games, West poured in 20 points for the Pacers finishing 9-of-13 from the field. West also grabbed eight of the Pacers 61 total rebounds.

After taking responsibility for the Pacers' poor performance in Atlanta where he made just one of his eight field goal attempts, Roy Hibbert attempted to bounce back against the Wizards. On the night, he scored 12 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and limited Gortat - who scored 17 points in the Pacers first match-up with the Wizards - to just four points. Even so, maybe the best highlight from the Big Dawg's performance against the Wizards was when he splashed in a three from the corner with ease midway through the second quarter.

Lance Stephenson returned to the starting line-up after a one game hiatus due to a knee contusion. Unsurprisingly, employee No. 1 brought his signature energy from the tip of the game. Stephenson finished the game with, yet another, double-double to the tune of 11 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.

After earning his first start of the season on Wednesday, Danny Granger seemed to really struggle in this particular game scoring only two points while going 1-of-7 from the field. Following a sequence of four games in five nights, fatigue likely played a role in the former All-Star's unproductive outing.

Other than Granger, the Pacers bench provided the team with a much needed offensive punch with Luis Scola and CJ Watson both recording double-digit scoring performances and combining for 26 points. Watson's 16 points, eleven of which were earned in the fourth quarter, marked just the sixth time CJ has crossed the double digit threshold as a Pacer. Ian Mahinmi also got in on the bench scoring action by chipping in with a modest five points (two of his field goals coming from assists by Lance Stephenson).

It may not have been the prettiest win, but, as the saying goes, a "W" is a "W." The Pacers should leave Bankers Life Fieldhouse more than satisfied with their dominant defensive performance (albeit aided by the Wizards horrific shooting), but may need to use the next several days off to figure out a way to jumpstart their offense. Meanwhile, the Wizards will have to wait, at least, until 2015 to get a victory in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Friday night's home win puts the Pacers at 18-1 at home, while pushing the Wizards to 1-13 against teams better than or equal to .500.

The Pacers next game is Tuesday at home against the Sacramento Kings.