Trail Blazers beat the Kings + Damian Lillard will miss Portland's road trip

The Portland Trail Blazers dispatched the Sacramento Kings, 103-98, on Sunday night at the Moda Center in a game without Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum or Norman Powell. Anfernee Simons had 31 points, Jusuf Nurkic came up one assist shy of a triple-double and the Kings did their part by being pathetic. It was a nice win for a team that hasn't had many of them in a while, but news broke before tip off that suggests the shorthanded Blazers might be shorthanded for a while longer and perhaps even the remainder of the season. Chauncey Billups said pregame that Lillard will not accompany the Blazers on an upcoming six-game road trip and instead will go see specialists to discuss his season-long abdominal issue. Lillard could opt for surgery or perhaps just shut it down for the remainder of the season as the Blazers head towards a lottery pick as they slip further from the playoff picture. If the Blazers are headed for an official tank job and away from the current unofficial tank job, how should fans watch a team that isn't trying to winning? Hint: It's all about Simons and Nassir Little. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices