SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 21 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter, Marvin Bagley III made a clutch 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining and the Sacramento Kings held off the Portland Trail Blazers 125-121 on Wednesday night.
Buddy Hield added 22 points in 30 minutes off the bench and Davion Mitchell added 16 points to give the Kings their first win under interim coach Alvin Gentry. Gentry took over after Luke Walton was fired Sunday.
Damian Lillard had 32 points and 10 assists for Portland. Jusuf Nurkic added a season-high 28 points and 17 rebounds. The Trail Blazers had won four in a row.
Fox was ejected with 6:06 left after picking up back-to-back technical fouls on a night highlighted by six technicals and two player ejections. Portland’s Robert Covington was ejected in the first half for a hostile act after tossing his goggles near the feet of a referee.
The Kings led by one, then slowly pulled away after their leading scorer was tossed.
Hield had seven points over the final five minutes, including four free throws. Davion Mitchell also scored five down the stretch, and Bagley’s 3-pointer from the right corner that put Sacramento ahead 121-114. Bagley, the second overall pick in 2018, has played sparingly this season.
The Kings won for the second time in 10 games.
The Blazers ended the first quarter with a flurry capped by Larry Nance’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Things got chippy in the third quarter when Nurkic and former Blazer Moe Harkless exchanged words while standing face to face. Both players were hit with technicals.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Portland is 1-8 on the road. … Lillard has scored 20 or more in nine straight. Lillard was also called for a technical for arguing with officials during a break in play.
Kings: Fox needs 10 assists to pass Chris Webber for fifth place in franchise history. … Leading rebounder Richaun Holmes was held out because of an eye injury.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Golden State on Friday night.
Kings: At Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in the first of two games in five days between the teams.
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