Yang Hansen and the Portland Trail Blazers won a 124-123 victory over the Sacramento Kings in preseason action last night. The game was plenty fun to watch, but the matchup also brought up an interesting question.
Contemplating the Blazers and Kings going at it in the regular season is kind of like anticipating a fight between a fifth grader and a seventh grader at final recess on a Wednesday. (In the old days, I mean. Obviously we don’t condone bullying or solving problems with violence. Use your
words and appropriate mediation, kids.) This isn’t going to be a heavyweight battle for the WBC belt. But as far as this school goes, it might resolve a few things. More to the point, it has the potential to elevate the status of the plucky fifth grader.
The Blazers are that fifth grader in this scenario. They finished last season 36-46 but are looking to make a step forward this year. The Kings have a better track record than Portland. That said, they ended up barely ahead in the standings at 40-42. If Portland is going to leapfrog any veteran team, Sacramento seems to be an achievable target.
The Kings have Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, plus Dennis Schroder, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, newcomer Devin Carter, and Keegan Murray.
The Blazers have Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, newcomer Hansen, and Kris Murray.
Do you see Portland being able to take Sacramento in their head-to-head battles this season? Also, do you think the Blazers will finish with a better regular-season record than the Kings? Are the teams relatively well-matched or do you see one having an advantage?
Share your thoughts in the comment section. Give us your reasoning too, if you will! Either way, this Western Conference matchup should be fun to watch.
