Blazers’ Donovan Clingan pulls off rare LaMarcus Aldridge feat

With a 117-110 win against the Sacramento Kings Sunday night at Golden 1 Center, the Portland Trail Blazers notched their third straight win and returned to a .500 record for the first time since November 14. Portland has now won 10 of its last 13 games and holds a 3-0 record against Sacramento this season.

Returning from a three-game absence due to a lower back strain, Deni Avdija finished with a game-high 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in 32 minutes. He scored 15 points in the first quarter alone, the highest-scoring opening quarter of his career, and combined with Shaedon Sharpe’s 27 points and seven rebounds, the duo helped the Trail Blazers control the paint throughout the contest.

Second-year big man Donovan Clingan scored 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was perfect from the free-throw line (8-of-8) to go with 17 rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 36 minutes, including 10 points in the fourth quarter alone. He achieved a rare milestone for the Trail Blazers, becoming the first Portland sophomore since LaMarcus Aldridge with a 20/15 game, according to StatMuse. The seven-foot-two center has now racked up 15 double-doubles this season, tying for second-most in the NBA among players with at least 27 games played.

Toumani Camara was flawless offensively, scoring 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including a second-quarter flurry that drove a momentum-shifting 20-8 run to give the Blazers a 64-53 halftime lead. Portland outscored the Kings 38-20 in the paint during the first half and added 23 second-chance points, exploiting Sacramento’s weak interior defense.

For the Kings, Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook each scored 23 points, and Zach LaVine chipped in 18. Sacramento briefly cut the Trail Blazers’ lead to four points late in the fourth quarter, but clutch free-throw shooting by Avdija and Sharpe, who combined to make five of six in the final 16 seconds, put the game away. Domantas Sabonis, in his second game since missing 27 contests due to a knee injury, contributed eight points and eight rebounds, but was error-prone with six turnovers in 20 minutes.

Portland rested Jerami Grant, Jrue Holiday, and Robert Williams III on the second night of a back-to-back. After three days of rest, the Blazers will return home to face the Miami Heat on Thursday night.