SACRAMENTO — The Blazers and Kings each entered Friday’s West Group C matchup with 0-1 records in the Emirates NBA Cup. 

With no team in the three-year history of the in-season competition ever advancing out of Group Play with multiple losses, this was essentially an elimination game. 

Fueled by 34 points from Deni Avdija and 29 points from Damian Lillard, the Blazers took the lead for good late in the first quarter and quelled every Kings run the rest of the way to secure a 120-107 victory. 

Portland entered the night with a minus-6 point differential in Group Play and ended with a plus-7, moving the Blazers into second place in West Group C. San Antonio (2-0) leads the group, while Portland (+7) holds the tiebreaker over fellow 1-1 teams — the Lakers (-11) and Warriors (-21). 

It sets up a showdown with the Spurs on Wednesday, Nov. 25 (10 ET, ESPN) in the next Group Play game for both teams. Meanwhile, the Kings fall to 0-2 in Group Play with remaining games against division rivals the Lakers and Warriors. 

Here are four takeaways from Portland’s win on Friday night.

1. The other side of Dame Time

Friday night may have been Micah Nori’s 12th game as an NBA head coach, though he is nearly two decades into his NBA coaching career — with assistant coaching stops in Toronto, Sacramento, Denver, Detroit and Minnesota from 2009 to 2026 before accepting the head job in Portland. 

After years of planning to face Damian Lillard, Nori is happy to have the veteran guard on his side now.  

“Number one, I get a lot more rest,” he said with a laugh before the game. “But, on a serious note, having seen him, essentially for his whole career and trying to get ready for him, you obviously know what he can do. 

“But I think the one thing that I really have enjoyed about coaching him is that there’s not a selfish bone in his body. And I mean that sincerely. … The other night he had six points in the game and he still played right in the flow. And next thing you know, he ends up with 19 or 20. So he doesn’t force anything. And he really takes what the game gives him.” 

Nori’s pregame comments proved prophetic as Lillard went scoreless in the first quarter, playing the role of playmaker with five assists rather than scorer.  

A key sequence stood out at the end of the first quarter. With 16 seconds left, Lillard re-entered the game for Portland’s final possession of the period. The play was not drawn up for him — Lillard was planted in the corner, forcing the Kings to keep a defender on him, which opened the lane for Avdija, who drew a foul for two free throws to push Portland’s lead to nine. 

One quarter later, the roles flipped. After a Kings turnover with 6.4 seconds left, Lillard inbounded the ball to Avdija, who pushed it across midcourt and dished to Lillard on the right wing. Lillard did the rest, rising up for a 26-footer over two Kings defenders that swished as the halftime buzzer sounded, pushing the lead back to 11 at the break. 

DAME BEATS THE Q2 BUZZER FROM DEEP 🎯

Portland leads in West Group C action! pic.twitter.com/alPpQZbOj5

— NBA (@NBA) November 14, 2026

Lillard ended the half with seven points, but he was just getting warmed up. On Portland’s opening possession of the second half, Lillard buried another deep 3-pointer. Those were the first three of 22 second-half points for the veteran guard. 

“I just really enjoy the way he carries himself as a professional, the way that he is selfless, and the way that he lets the game come to him,” said Nori. “However you want to guard him, he finds another way to impact the game, and impact winning.”

2. Deni dazzles with season-best 34, earns Dame’s praise

Last season, Avdija earned his first NBA All-Star nod, leading the Blazers with career highs in points (24.2) and assists (6.7) as Portland went 42-40 and snapped a four-year playoff drought. And Lillard had a front-row view as he rehabbed from his Achilles tear, knowing he would team with Avdija this season. 

Entering this year, Avdija was expected to be surrounded by two All-Star guards with Lillard’s return and the addition of Ja Morant. However, that trio has only played four games together as Morant is sidelined after suffering a grade 2 hamstring strain on Oct. 29 while facing his former team, the Grizzlies.  

On Friday night, the duo of Deni and Dame was formidable as the two combined for 63 points and nine 3-pointers. Avdija was nearly unstoppable, scoring 34 points on only 13 shots. He finished 11-for-13 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. That adds up to a true shooting percentage of 100.2%. 

DENI AND DAME COMBINED FOR 63 POINTS IN PORTLAND'S WEST GROUP C WIN!

DENI: 34 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 3 3PM
DAME: 29 PTS, 6 AST, 6 3PM

The @trailblazers have won 3 straight and are now 9-3 on the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ekNalJHIRo

— NBA (@NBA) November 14, 2026

Avdija leads the Blazers in scoring at 23.9 points per game, which ranks 18th in the league. Lillard isn’t far behind at 20.6 points, as he pursues a 13th consecutive season averaging 20+ points. He’s already the Blazers’ all-time leading scorer (19,623) and has led the team in scoring for eight consecutive seasons (2015-16 to 2022-23).  

Avdija’s ability to fill it up allows Lillard to pick his spots and play the fewest minutes of his career (29.4), keeping him fresh to unleash Dame Time in the clutch. 

“He’s been great,” Lillard said of Avdija. “Playing with him has been probably the most joyful for me out of any other player that I’ve played with, as far as being a tandem. Just because of the force that he plays with, it makes the game easier for me.  

“Especially coming back after missing some time, the trust that’s there based off of what I’ve seen from him last year, and now being on the floor with him, it’s at an extremely high level. Knowing that he can dominate games, he can make plays and make the game easier for me, and I can do the same for him. It’s been great just to have a guy that I can play alongside that you trust on that level.”

3. Sabonis bounces back

Coming off the first scoreless game of his career in which he played at least 20 minutes (602 games), Domantas Sabonis wasted no time making his presence felt on Friday night.  

In the game’s first 3:25, he had six points on 3-for-5 shooting with three rebounds and one spectacular assist — a no-look overhead bounce pass to Keegan Murray for a dunk.  

SABONIS NO-LOOK, OVER-THE-HEAD DIME 😲

A PINPOINT BOUNCE PASS LEADING TO THE SLAM! pic.twitter.com/2zPKQRlW9k

— NBA (@NBA) November 14, 2026

It was part of an early 8-0 run for the Kings that gave Sacramento its largest lead of the game (10-5). Sabonis was involved in each play — a jumper off a pass from Darius Acuff Jr., a layup from Murray, the dime to Murray, and a coast-to-coast slam.  

“I felt great. I’m 100%. I feel amazing,” he said pregame. “Last game was just a different game, and just gotta be better in all aspects.” 

He did just that, finishing with 21 points (9-for-16 FG), 12 rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes. Only De’Andre Hunter (24 points) scored more for the home team. However, the combo of Domas and De’Andre was not enough to defeat the duo of Deni and Dame. 

4. Blazers rolling as they open cross-country road trip

Sacramento has been a second home for the Blazers early in the season.

• A 110-98 preseason win on Oct. 13. 
• A 128-120 win on Oct. 23 in their second game of the season 
• A 120-107 win on Friday for their first Group Play victory 

The third trip to their second home is the first stop on a six-game, 12-day road trip for the Blazers. 

Following Friday’s win, the Blazers head to Minnesota for a back-to-back with the Timberwolves (who are also 9-3 this season).  

Then, it is off to Milwaukee (1-12) as Lillard faces the Bucks for the first time since 2023. After playing for the Bucks for two seasons (2023-25), a sidelined Lillard returned to Milwaukee for the first time last season and received a standing ovation from the fans.  

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oaxpuwq1cks 

Portland wraps up the trip with a matchup with the defending champions in New York (6-6) and ends against the new-look Sixers in Philly (10-3).  

The Blazers bring a 9-3 record and a three-game win streak into the final five games of this trip. Can they keep the momentum going before returning home for that West Group C showdown with San Antonio on Nov. 25?