PORTLAND — Damian Lillard had 15 points Tuesday night, 13 assists and five rebounds, pacing the Portland Trail Blazers in a home win over the Sacramento Kings, 112-97.
Lillard had an inefficient shooting night, but played masterfully — with his biggest contributions coming not on the stat sheet, but rather via text message.
Less than 24 hours before the Blazers moved into a virtual tie with Sacramento for the eighth seed in the West, Lillard and teammates were scouting their opponent as the Kings went through a grueling double-overtime loss to Charlotte.
It was in those conversations with teammates that they saw the Kings would have very little in reserve if the Blazers forced them to run.
“We all watched the game last night. I was texting (Gerald Henderson), I was texting CJ, Tim, Ed — we all kind of just separately were having conversations,” Lillard said. “I knew they would get here late. I told everybody, ‘We got to run ’em.’ We have to dig in on defense and then push it right back at them — eventually we’d have a chance to wear them out, and in the second half I think we did that.”
Lillard forced them from the opening tip.
“I looked up and he had seven assists, six or seven minutes into the game and I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” Meyers Leonard said. “He kept on us: ‘This is a big game. Keep going at them.’ ”
Most of Lillard’s shots and those of backcourt mate CJ McCollum did not fall, but Lillard’s commitment to pushing the pace and attacking the rim proved to be the correct strategy as the Kings faded late.
He had seven of his 13 assists in the first quarter and finished with 15 points.
It also helped that Sacramento’s transformative big man DeMarcus Cousins appeared to be feeling the effects of the night before.
Cousins’ poor night came after historic outings in his previous two games, one of only four players in the last 40 years to score more than 100 points and grab 25 rebounds over two games.
He started the night 1 of 6 from the field and never recovered, finishing 4 of 20 from the field and 9 of 17 from the free-throw line for 17 points and five rebounds.
Gerald Henderson got a bigger chunk of the minutes and was the team’s highest-scoring reserve with 15 points. But no bench player on the Blazers had a more memorable night than Leonard, who re-ignited his battles with Cousins.
Leonard was key in Portland’s win in Sacramento on Dec. 27 by defending Cousins in the post and stretching the floor with his 3-point shooting, which he did again Tuesday.
The frustration from Cousins — who was having one of his worst games of the season — was even more palpable. With 27 seconds left in the third quarter, Leonard delivered a strong foul on Cousins who then cocked back as if he were going to punch.
Leonard simply stood there and after Cousins walked by, flashed a little smirk which riled up the Blazers crowd who then fully turned on Cousins.
“It was definitely a fun match-up,” Leonard said. “I think he sometimes tries to get in my ear.”
“I could tell you what their scheme was: try to frustrate me,” Cousins said after the game. “Leonard took advantage of the situation a little bit more. If you want to credit them, go ahead.”
“I told him that’s what it has to be,” Lillard said of Leonard’s physicality against Cousins in the post. “I’m taking Meyers seven days out of the week over him being passive.”
Although the Blazers are currently a playoff team, Lillard knows it is too early to look that far ahead.
“We can’t like we made the playoffs just because if it started today we would be in them,” Lillard said.
