PORTLAND — The Sacramento Kings jumped over two hurdles in their win at Portland on Saturday night.
DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 12 rebounds, John Salmons added 19 points and 11 assists, and the Kings earned their first road win and first three-game winning streak of the season by beating the Trail Blazers 99-80.
“It feels good," Salmons said. “Especially coming off two home wins, to go on the road and get that third win. Hopefully, we can continue doing that."
Aaron Brooks had 14 points for the Kings, who had lost their first six away from Sleep Train Arena. Francisco Garcia and Jason Thompson added 12 each. All five starters finished in double figures as the Kings overcame a dismal second quarter and steadily pulled away, outscoring Portland by 19 points in the second half.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 10 rebounds and J.J. Hickson added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Wesley Matthews scored 14 points, but suffered a hip injury.
Matthews went to the locker room in the third quarter with what was called a left hip contusion. He returned but fell to the floor in the fourth and left the game limping. He said after the game he heard his hip flexor muscle pop when he went down and was in significant pain.
Nicolas Batum played for Portland despite dealing with a back strain, but he appeared to be in pain while scoring five points in 17 largely ineffective minutes.
Those injuries may leave the Blazers short-handed as they play the remainder of a five-game homestand. Portland may be forced to recall guard Will Barton and forward Victor Claver from the D-League’s Idaho Stampede, where they had been sent on Friday.
Portland was back after a seven-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams. The Blazers went 2-5 on the trip, winning at Charlotte and Cleveland, both in overtime. They lost 99-92 at Indiana on Wednesday.
“This was definitely a tough night for us," said Aldridge, who was five of 14 from the floor. “We started off kind of sluggish, especially myself. I just felt like it was one of those nights where I couldn’t find my legs."
The Kings were playing on a back-to-back after a 91-82 win Friday over Orlando and were kicking off a four-game road trip. The 0-6 start to the season was Sacramento’s worst road start since going 0-9 on the road to begin the 2007-08 season.
Sacramento dominated despite missing Tyreke Evans, its second-leading scorer and leader in assists, for the fourth time in five games with a sore knee. Salmons was three for four on 3-pointers and helped lead Sacramento’s run by making two of the Kings’ four 3s to start the second half. Four minutes into the third quarter the Kings were up 10 and Portland never challenged as Batum and Matthews left the game for good.
“They came in and they were ready to play," said Portland guard Damian Lillard, who had 12 points. “We didn’t have a lot of energy and they just outplayed us and beat us."
The Kings led by 12 in the first quarter as Portland committed nine turnovers. The tables turned in the second quarter. The Kings scored just 13 points and went through a stretch where they missed 14 of 15 field-goal attempts, allowing the Blazers to pull to 39-38. Thompson’s layup broke the dry spell for Sacramento, which led 43-41 at the break.
Former Blazer Travis Outlaw had 11 points for the Kings, all in the second half. Outlaw was averaging just 3.8 points entering the game, but was a key contributor as coach Keith Smart looked down his bench seeking a spark at halftime.
“I was just excited for the opportunity," Outlaw said. “To get to go out there, showcase, do what I can and hopefully I can buy myself more minutes."
Also on Saturday:
Mavericks 116
Rockets 109
HOUSTON — O.J. Mayo scored 40 points, including 10 in the last three minutes, to lift Dallas to a victory over Houston in coach Kevin McHale’s return. James Harden had 30 points at halftime, but the Mavericks slowed him down in the second half. He scored just nine points in the second half.
Heat 106
Hornets 90
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, LeBron James finished with 24 points and seven assists, and Miami snapped a two-game slide by topping New Orleans. Chris Bosh scored 13, and Ray Allen and Shane Battier each added 11 for Miami.
Bulls 93
Knicks 85
CHICAGO — Marco Belinelli and Luol Deng scored 22 points apiece as Chicago snapped New York’s five-game winning streak. Belinelli scored 15 points in the first quarter, while Deng had 10 in the fourth, giving the Bulls their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Hawks 93
Grizzlies 83
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Josh Smith had 24 points, Lou Williams scored 18 of his 21 in the second half, and Atlanta won for the ninth time in 10 games. Al Horford had 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Atlanta, while Jeff Teague finished with 13 points and six assists.
Pistons 104
Cavaliers 97
CLEVELAND — Brandon Knight scored a career-high 30 points and Detroit beat Cleveland for the second time in six days. The Pistons, who won for just the second time in 12 road games this season, took control with a run that began late in the third quarter and carried into the fourth period.
Celtics 92
76ers 79
BOSTON — Kevin Garnett scored 19 points, Jeff Green added 16, and Boston won the back end of a home-and-home with Philadelphia. Paul Pierce finished with 13 points and Rajon Rondo dished out 11 assists and collected nine rebounds.
Spurs 132
Bobcats 102
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Danny Green scored 23 points and San Antonio set a franchise record with 19 3-pointers to hand Charlotte its seventh straight loss. Green was seven of nine from 3-point range and the Spurs shot 56 percent from behind the arc.
Warriors 101
Wizards 97
WASHINGTON — David Lee had 24 points and 17 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 23 points and Golden State beat Washington for its third straight road win.
Clippers 117
Suns 99
LOS ANGELES — Jamal Crawford led a fourth-quarter rally with 13 of his 21 points, and Los Angeles won its fifth in a row while sending Phoenix to a season-worst sixth straight loss.