Now it looks more like it.

The Kings finally got into the win column for the 2024-2025 season, defeating the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 111 to 98. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 24 points, while DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Domantas Sabonis had a patented 16 points . , 13 rebound and 7 assist games.

This was a rough game to watch aesthetically, especially in the first half when neither team really got into a rhythm and both teams spent what felt like an eternity on the line. In the first half alone, the Kings and Blazers combined for 34 free throw attempts, drawing 29 fouls. The Kings shot just 38.5% from the field in that first half and Portland was even worse at 15-of-42. The slow pace and clumsy shooting from both teams made it a close game for much of the first half was, but the Kings managed to build a lead. a little separation towards the end of the quarter, with DeRozan hitting a nice midrange jumper at the buzzer after creating some separation to give the Kings an eight-point lead heading into the break.

The third quarter started off a bit sloppy, with the Blazers cutting it to two points with 7:26 left on a Jerami Grant three-pointer. De’Aaron Fox responded with a quick three of his own, setting up Sacramento’s best run of the game as they would go on a 12–0 run to open a 14-point lead. After Portland cut the lead to single digits with 2:23 to play on a Scoot Henderson layup, the Kings went on another mini-run, hitting three straight triples to extend the lead to 19. By the end of the quarter the Kings managed to build an 18-point lead.

Sacramento managed to push the lead to as many as 26 with 9 minutes left in the game after Trey Lyles hit a three, his first and only bucket of the game. The Kings should have been able to branch out from there and take it easy, but of course the Kings never make it easy. Portland was determined to keep fighting, and full court pressure and a zone defense threw the Kings away for a while and they went ice cold. Meanwhile, the Blazers attacked on the other end. Over the next four minutes, the Blazers scored 13 unanswered points before the Kings finally managed to break the 100-point mark on a nice driving layup from De’Aaron Fox. A few plays later, DeMar DeRozan essentially froze the game with a mid-range turnaround that put the Kings up by 17.

It wasn’t a perfect game by the Kings by any means, but it was just what the doctor ordered after two frustrating losses to start the season, both of which easily felt like they could have been a win. Mike Brown’s rotation, which came under a lot of scrutiny after the first two games, especially after Keon Ellis didn’t get a single minute against the Lakers, was much more reasonable tonight with no Kings player playing more than 35 minutes. After a slow shooting start to the game, the Kings finished the game shooting 45.7% from the field and 40% from three. They also hit 23 of their 25 free throws. DeRozan alone was 9-of-10, but Sabonis and Fox, both players who have struggled at the line in the past, combined to go 9-10.

Kevin Huerter looked to be back in form tonight, scoring 18 points, including 4 of 9 from distance, while also dishing out 4 assists. His defense was also very active, leading to some solid deflections and he finished the game with 3 blocks, tying a career-high. This version of Kevin Huerter looked much more like the confident shooter we saw in his first season with the Kings and if he can continue to be that way, it will be a huge boon for this team.

The Kings also managed to hold Portland to just 4 of 22, a nice change of pace after both the Timberwolves and Lakers were able to shoot 40+% from distance against us. That is tied for the fewest threes made by an opponent in Golden 1 Center history.

The Kings play their own game tomorrow night in Utah, where they begin a four-game road trip.

Random observations:

• The Kings certainly have some size issues. Portland got twelve offensive rebounds, which led to nineteen second-chance points for the Blazers. The Kings can’t do much about this either, it’s just the way the roster is constructed at the moment. Portland also dominated interiorly, scoring 52 points in the paint, compared to just 28 for the Kings.
• Keegan Murray had a tough shooting night, scoring just six points on 2-9 from the field, but I thought he did a great job limiting Jerami Grant at the other end. Grant had averaged 26 points per game through the first three games of the season for Portland, but Keegan held him to just 7 points on 3 of 12 shooting. Offensively, he also showed improved mid-range play, with both of his buckets coming from mid-range reversals against a smaller defender.
• Domantas Sabonis’ three-point shot might be real. This is now the third straight game in which Sabonis has hit a three, and he is 5-of-8 this season. Now, I don’t think he’ll shoot over 60% from distance all year, but he should definitely continue to shoot at least a few per game if he wants to hit them consistently. The best thing about his shot is that he’s confident and goes up faster and with less hesitation than we’ve seen in the past. His free throw looks have improved as well, and so far he’s shooting 78.2% from the stripe, which would be by far the best of his career.
• The Kings certainly seem to be struggling quite a bit in the non-Sabonis minutes. Len just doesn’t offer the same offensive capabilities at all, and when you have Lyles in the middle, the team is super small. Lyles himself has struggled to get back into a rhythm, so it was fun to see him hit that three tonight.
• De’Aaron Fox had the quietest 24 points I’ve seen from him. I think he’s the one who has felt DeRozan’s impact the most, which makes sense because they both need the ball in their hands. I think they’re still feeling each other out, but if we can still get them both to score 20+ while they’re in that process, that’s nice. Additionally, Fox surpassed 10,000 points scored in his career, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to do so, and only the second in the Sacramento era after Mitch Richmond.
• Dougie McBuckets came in garbage time and hit a pair of quick threes in a row. I didn’t like him being inserted into the lineup in that fourth quarter against the Timberwolves, but I wouldn’t mind giving him a spot every now and then.
• Keon definitely seems to have a shorter leash than last year, but I also understand why Brown currently views Huerter as a better option in the starting lineup. Huerter is much more willing and able to get off the ball and take threes, while Keon is much more hesitant even when he has an open look. Keon’s only goal of the night was a nice corner three off a quick dish from Jordan McLaughlin, but I think he will have to be a bit more aggressive in finding his shot and moving if he wants more minutes.
• The Blazers are tall. That could be a fun team if they get some of their firepower back, especially Shaedon Sharpe, who I’m still very high on.