Kings Down Trail Blazers 109-105 In OT Preseason Opener
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Marco Belinelli had 32 points, including four 3-pointers, and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 109-105 in overtime Monday night, the preseason opener for both teams.
DeMarcus Cousins started and finished with 22 points for the Kings, who missed the playoffs after finishing 29-53 last season.
Damian Lillard had 17 points for the Blazers. Lillard is the only starter returning to the Blazers team that went 51-31 last season.
After leading by as many as 21 points in the first half, the Blazers had a 56-41 advantage at the break.
With 4:52 remaining, Belinelli made a 25-foot 3-pointer to tie the game at 89. It was close for the rest of regulation and the teams headed into overtime tied at 97.
Tim Frazier opened up overtime by hitting a 3-pointer to give the Blazers the lead but Belinelli's 3 put the Kings up 104-102 with just under two minutes to go. Portland could not recover.
KINGS: Rajon Rondo, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Kings in the offseason had 5 points playing just 19 minutes. ... Belinelli signed a three-year deal with the Kings in the offseason after two seasons in San Antonio. ... Darren Collison, another free agent signing, had 21 points and 10 assists.
TRAIL BLAZERS: Center Meyers Leonard left the game with a right ankle sprain and but came back midway through the third quarter. ... Lillard is the Blazers' lone returning starter, following the offseason departures of LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez.
SPEAKING:
PAYING TRIBUTE: The Blazers held a moment of silence before the game for the nine victims of last week's shooting at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Oregon. The players also wore T-Shirts emblazoned with "UCC."
UP NEXT: The Blazers host the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The Kings play at the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
