Trail Blazers-Kings Preview

By JACK CASSIDY

(AP) -- While the hiring of George Karl has brought some excitement to the Sacramento Kings, wins could remain difficult to come by as long as DeMarcus Cousins is sidelined.

The Kings may again be without their All-Star center Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers and will try to post a winning homestand before their longest trip of the season.

Sacramento (20-36) emerged from the All-Star break with two wins in three games under its new coach, and Cousins averaged 22.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in those contests.

However, the fifth-year center sat out Friday's 107-96 loss to San Antonio with a left ankle sprain and bruised left hip. The absence proved interesting since the Kings outscored the Spurs 50-40 in the paint and outrebounded them 47-42 without Cousins.

"The effort, the intensity and the energy were first-class," Karl said. "But the basketball IQ in the fourth quarter - I'm not saying it was bad, but it wasn't good."

Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum continued to bring the club's newfound energy with a combined 57 points, but Sacramento turned it over 17 times in falling to 1-1 on it's three-game stay at home. The Kings kick off an eight-game trip Tuesday at New York - matching their longest since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985.

They are 2-11 this season without Cousins, who will be missed against a stout Portland frontcourt led by LaMarcus Aldridge. Cousins had 22 points and a season high-tying 19 rebounds in a 98-94 loss to the Blazers on Jan. 19, and he scored 30 or more with at least nine boards in each meeting last season.

Aldridge scored 22 in a 103-94 loss at Sacramento on Oct. 31, but he finished with just 10 in 14 minutes before leaving the January win with a left thumb injury that the team originally said required surgery before the forward decided to play through it.

The Trail Blazers (38-19) lost 11 of 17 from Jan. 14-Feb. 22, but have since rebounded with quality wins against Western Conference competition. Portland beat San Antonio on Wednesday before outlasting Oklahoma City 115-112 on Friday.

Damian Lillard and Aldridge scored 29 points apiece to overcome Thunder guard Russell Westbrook's triple-double of 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

"Like I said before the game, this was, as much as the implications were as far as division and tiebreaker, it was as much or more about 20-some games to go and playing the right way and finding ways to win games," coach Terry Stotts told the Trail Blazers' official website. "That was good to see tonight."

It was a welcome performance from Aldridge, who had been in a 29.1 percent shooting slump since Feb. 11 and missed a Feb. 22 loss to Memphis with a right thumb sprain.

Arron Afflalo also played well, posting his best game since joining the Trail Blazers on Feb. 22. The veteran shooting guard had 18 points - 11 in the fourth quarter - and afterward earned high praise from Stotts.

"He made some big shots," Stotts said. "He was aggressive offensively, very active defensively, got out in transition, so I think he's looked like he's kind of rounding into shape for us."

Afflalo owns a career 22.4 3-point percentage against Sacramento, his second-worst among opponents he's faced at least seven times.

Gay has averaged 32.0 points in his last four meetings with Portland and put up 40 in Sacramento's 103-94 home win over the Trail Blazers on Oct. 31.