Deni Avdija sharp in return, sparks Trail Blazers in victory over Kings

Deni Avdija returned from a three-game absence to score a game-high 30 points, Toumani Camara shoehorned nine of his 17 points into a key second-quarter run and the Portland Trail Blazers held the host Sacramento Kings at arm's length through the second half for a 117-110 victory Sunday night.

Shaedon Sharpe chipped in with 27 points and Donovan Clingan snatched a game-high 17 rebounds as part of a double-double with 21 points for the Trail Blazers, who used a third straight win to reach .500 for the first time since mid-November. Portland has won 10 of its last 13 games.

Reserve Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook had 23 points apiece and Zach LaVine added 18 for the Kings, who saw a four-game winning streak come to an end with a third consecutive loss to the Trail Blazers this season.

Camara's flurry came after the Kings had taken a 45-44 lead on a Maxime Raynaud 10-footer with 5:24 remaining in the first half. The Trail Blazers then ended the second period on a 20-8 run to go up 64-53 at the break.

Camara contributed two dunks, a short bank shot and a 3-pointer to the run, and Clingan added a pair of dunks, one on an alley-oop. Portland closed the half by making eight of its final 12 shots, while the Kings connected on just three of 11 and mixed in four turnovers.

Sacramento never led again, but did get as close as seven early in the fourth quarter, then again at 108-101 with 3:16 to go. The Kings appeared to close the gap even farther when Clingan was called for goaltending on a LaVine interior attempt with 2:03 left, but the call was overturned on review, after which Sharpe and Avdija added hoops to ice the win.

Avdija, who had been sidelined by a sore back, made 10 of his 18 shots and mixed in a game-high eight assists in 32 minutes. Camara shot 7-for-7 and Clingan 6-for-9, helping the visitors connect on 48.2% overall.

The double-double was Clingan's 15th of the season.

Monk drilled five 3-pointers, while Westbrook and LaVine hit three apiece for the Kings, who outshot the Trail Blazers 35.5% to 25.0% from beyond the arc and outscored the visitors 33-24 from deep.

In his second game since a 27-game absence due to a knee injury, Domantas Sabonis had eight points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench for Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan (14 points), who tied Westbrook for team-high assist honors with seven, and Dylan Cardwell (12), who had a team-high 10 rebounds, joined Monk, Westbrook and LaVine in double figures.