The 2nd quarter seemed like it was getting out of hand for Portland, as Sacramento opened up to a 13 point lead on a Beno Udrih three pointer to make it 37-24. But thanks to a tricky zone defense and Andre Miller, the Blazers were able to cut it to two at the break.
Miller had 6 points in the quarter, but his defense and passing helped get Portland back into it. He also received some help from Wesley Matthews who leads the Blazers with 11 points.
For Sacramento, its the backcourt doing most of the work. Udrih is having another good game offensively (10 points on 4-8 shooting) but his defense has been porous. Tyreke Evans leads the game in scoring with 15 points on 6-9 shooting, but also has 3 turnovers and was slowed down a bit by Portland’s zone defense.
DeMarcus Cousins again played well at the beginning of the quarter, hitting his jumpers and finishing inside too. But his contributions have come in little time, as he once again got into early foul trouble trying to draw a charge while in the restricted area. His replacement, Samuel Dalembert, has played very well defensively against LaMarcus Aldridge, holding him to only 6 points. Aldridge has found other ways to contribute however, with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Tyreke Evans found Carl Landry at the basket for a layup at the buzzer, but the basket was discounted since it left Landry’s hands after time expired.