Final Score: Kings Rout the Blazers 99-80 For First Road Win

Well that went a whole lot better than expected. Sacramento won it's third straight game and their first road victory in Portland, blowing out the Blazers 99-80. Impressively, they did it without Tyreke Evans, sitting out with a sore left knee for the second game in a row.

As yesterday's victory against the Magic was because of the quality play of the Kings' bench, tonight it was the starters who shone. Every single starter finished with at least 12 points. John Salmons in particular was instrumental in the victory, having perhaps his best game as a Sacramento King. Salmons finished with 19 points on 10 shots, as well as a season-high 11 assists, the most for a King this season. DeMarcus Cousins also had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Sacramento was in control of the game right from the get-go, getting out to a double-digit lead early. Portland was able to make a game of it in the 2nd quarter against Sacramento's bench unit, holding the Kings to just 13 points in the 2nd. It was the only quarter the Blazers outscored Sacramento.

Travis Outlaw also came off the bench and made a big contribution in the second half. Outlaw hasn't played in 13 of the Kings' 19 games this year but he played well on both ends of the court tonight. In 17 minutes he scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and a steal. His +/- of 15 actually reflects some of the impact he had on the game.

The Blazers struggled shooting wise, shooting just 38.7% from the field. LaMarcus Aldridge led them with 17 points, but was just 5-14 from the field. Former King J.J. Hickson had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Rookie Damian Lillard only scored 12 points on 13 shots, but did dish out 9 assists. Forward Nicolas Batum played just 17 relatively ineffective minutes while struggling with a back injury. Wesley Matthews also went down with an injury in the second half, although the severity is currently unknown.

Sacramento is now 7-12 on the year and has some positive momentum going forward into the remainder of this road trip. They head next to Dallas on Monday.

Full Recap coming later. For now, dance!

For a Blazers perspective, head over to Blazer's Edge.