Yang Hansen scores 0 points and grabs 1 rebound in the final game! Trail Blazers defeat Kings to secure No. 8 seed in West: Play-in game against Suns

On April 13, Beijing time, on the final day of the NBA regular season, the Trail Blazers defeated the Kings 122-110 at home, securing the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They will face the No. 7 seed Suns in the play-in tournament. If they beat the Suns, the Trail Blazers will become the 7th seed and face the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs; if they lose to the Suns, they will compete with the winner of the Clippers-Warriors play-in game for the 8th seed, with the winner facing the Thunder in the first round. Avdija contributed 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists. Yang Hansen played the final 1 minute and 39 seconds, scoring no points and grabbing 1 rebound. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 20 points; although the gap narrowed to single digits at one point, the Kings ultimately fell short.

Statistics

Kings: Achiuwa 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists; Clifford 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists; Reno 21 points, 9 rebounds; Hayes 9 points; Carter 8 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists; Plowden 8 points; McDermott 7 points, 3 rebounds; Caldwell 6 points, 8 rebounds

Trail Blazers: Avdija 25 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists; Holiday 23 points, 7 rebounds; Kamara 15 points, 4 rebounds; Henderson 15 points, 4 assists; Clingan 13 points, 11 rebounds; Murray 9 points, 4 rebounds; Sharpe 9 points, 4 assists; Williams 6 points, 10 rebounds; Thybulle 5 points; Yang Hansen 0 points, 1 rebound

Player of the Game

Avdija performed consistently, leading the Trail Blazers to victory over the Kings.

Game Recap

In the first quarter, Holiday scored a mid-range jumper, Clingan and Avdija hit three-pointers, and the Trail Blazers opened with an 8-0 lead. Plowden and Reno responded with threes, Clingan dunked, Reno scored 5 consecutive points, and the Kings overtook the Trail Blazers. Clingan scored on a putback, Avdija hit two consecutive threes, and Achiuwa found his rhythm, scoring 6 straight points. Clingan and Thybulle scored inside, Caldwell dunked on a putback. Kamara hit a three-pointer, Hayes scored consecutive mid-range shots. At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers and Kings were tied at 33-33.

In the second quarter, Sharpe dunked for a 2+1, Caldwell and Achiuwa scored inside consecutively, and the Kings led by 1 point. Henderson hit a mid-range shot, Holiday made a three-pointer, Sharpe scored on a drive, Murray hit a three, and the Trail Blazers unleashed a 12-2 run to widen the gap. Clifford scored 6 straight points, Clingan scored on a putback, Henderson dunked, Murray hit another three, Kamara and Williams dunked consecutively, Avdija scored on a layup, and the Trail Blazers led by 18 points. Reno and Holiday traded threes, Thybulle also hit a three-pointer. At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Kings 77-57.

After the break, Achiuwa scored on a layup, Carter hit a mid-range shot, and the Kings went on an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 12 points. Avdija made two free throws, breaking the Trail Blazers' scoring drought. Achiuwa dunked, McDermott hit a three-pointer, Reno dunked on a putback, and the Kings trailed by only 7 points. Williams scored on a putback, Avdija and Kamara hit threes, Clifford scored 4 straight points, Krejci scored on a layup. At the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Kings 96-84.

In the fourth quarter, Clingan scored on a putback, Caldwell dunked on an alley-oop, Henderson hit a three-pointer, Plowden made three free throws, Hayes also hit a three. McDermott and Avdija traded threes. Achiuwa scored on a layup, Kamara also hit a three, and the Trail Blazers still led by 13 points. Clifford scored on a layup, Williams dunked on an alley-oop. Kamara and Clifford scored on layups, Holiday scored 4 consecutive points. Achiuwa dunked, Yang Hansen entered the game for the final 1 minute and 39 seconds, grabbing 1 rebound. Ultimately, the Trail Blazers defeated the Kings.

Starting Lineups

Kings: Clifford, Carter, Plowden, Achiuwa, Reno

Trail Blazers: Holiday, Henderson, Kamara, Avdija, Clingan