After dismal trip Kings hostTrail Blazers (Nov 17, 2017)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Now that they're back home after a three-game road trip they'll never tell their grandchildren about, the Sacramento Kings simply hope they don't give the home fans a reason not to jeer them.
"We owe Sacramento," guard George Hill told reporters after the team's most recent meltdown, a 46-point embarrassment at Atlanta on Wednesday, " ... better than what we're showing them."
Back on friendly grounds, the Kings open a back-to-back set against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Golden 1 Center with only one goal in mind -- show something.
Sacramento (3-11) lost all three games by a combined 91 points on an East Coast trip to New York, Washington and Atlanta. The 126-80 drubbing to the Hawks marked the sixth-worst loss in franchise history, and their biggest since Feb, 2, 2008.
It also was the biggest win ever for the Hawks.
"We've got to figure out," Kings forward Garrett Temple said, "how to start competing, start being men."
They also need to figure out how to prevent other teams from scoring, and how to get the ball in the bucket themselves.
The Hawks shot 63.3 percent from the field, and the three Sacramento opponents on the trip combined to shoot 55.5 percent and average 118 points. The three teams also made 39 3-pointers, and opponents are making nearly 13 per game against the Kings this season, the second-worst defensive mark in the league.
That's in keeping with the Kings' defensive struggles all season. The Kings are allowing 107.1 points a game this season, a middle-of-the-pack showing in the 30-team NBA.
Offensively, the Kings are 29th in the NBA in scoring at 93.6 points per contest. They didn't top 92 in any of the three games on the trip, shooting a combined 37.7 percent from the floor.
The Trail Blazers (8-6) come to town preparing for significant time on the road after a 4-2 homestand that ended with two straight victories. Portland will return home Saturday to host the Kings, then play five straight road games against Eastern Conference.
Rookie Caleb Swanigan has started two straight games for Portland, and coach Terry Stotts has used three guards -- Damian Lilliard, C.J. McCollum and Shabazz Napier -- with great success in a 99-94 win over Orlando on Wednesday.
The trio combined for 69 points against Orlando when Portland came back from a 14-point deficit.
Napier is averaging more than 20 minutes in Portland's past four games after playing sporadically in its first 10.
"It's always great to get an opportunity to go out there and play," he told The Oregonian. "And I think I did a lot to improve in the offseason."
He's averaged 12.5 points and 60 percent shooting in that stretch. He also went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, becoming the third player in team history to make at least five off the bench without a miss.
"He gives us a spark," coach Terry Stotts told The Oregonian.
Kings forward Vince Carter has missed four straight games with kidney stones. The team has not said whether he'll be available against Portland.
