The Sacramento Kings needed a win desperately. Thankfully, the return of Marcus Thornton and the rare good game by John Salmons proved to be just enough to get them over the top on Thursday night.
Thornton poured in 20 points thanks mainly to 10 free throws made (he only went 4 of 13 from the field), Salmons chipped in an efficient 19 points on 14 shots plus eight rebounds, Tyreke Evans added 18 points, five rebounds and five assists and Jason Thompson put in 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead Sacramento to a crucial 95-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Sacramento didn't play particularly better, but used their superior free throw rate (22 of 29 compared to 8 of 16 for Portland) to get the win in this one.
LaMarcus Aldridge did his best (28 points and 14 rebounds), and Jamal Crawford (17 points on 17 shots), Raymond Felton (15 points, 10 assists), and Kurt Thomas (10 points) led Portland, but they couldn't get to the line and that proved to be the difference.
To talk about the game with Kings fans, best to head on over to Sactown Royalty. To discuss the result with Portland fans, go to Blazers Edge.