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Gay scores 40 as Kings down Trail Blazers

Kyle Terada / USA TODAY Sports

Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Rudy Gay posted a game and season-best 40 points along with eight rebounds as Sacramento picked up its first win of the year with a 103-94 triumph over Portland on Friday night.

DeMarcus Cousins and Darren Collison each contributed 17 points for the Kings, who shook off a season-opening 18-point loss to Golden State on Wednesday.

LaMarcus Aldridge totaled 22 points and Damian Lillard poured in 20 for the Blazers, who were coming off a 17-point home win against Oklahoma City two days prior.

Wesley Matthews hit from long distance and Portland was up 77-73 early in the fourth, but Omri Casspi's layup just over three minutes in triggered a momentum-turning 13-0 run which gave the Kings the lead for good.

Gay followed with five in a row including a trey, Cousins added a bucket, Collison made two from the charity stripe and Cousins ended the burst with two more from the line to make it 86-77.

Gay later connected on both his free-throw attempts with 2:39 to play and Sacramento was up 92-81. Portland was unable to close the gap to less than six the rest of the way.

Aldridge scored 11 first-quarter points but the Blazers trailed 26-24 after 12 minutes of action. Things were tight again in the second period, which ended in a 48-48 deadlock thanks to a pair of Chris Kaman shots sandwiched around a Collison jumper.

The Kings' lead swelled to 62-52 with four minutes elapsed in the third thanks to seven points from Gay, and it was 69-58 for the hosts with 4:18 left after a Gay three-pointer, but the Blazers battled back to knot the score heading to the fourth, 71-71, thanks to six points from Aldridge.

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