LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points and collected 12 rebounds to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 109-91 victory over the reeling Kings.

Aldridge went 11-for-21 from the field, and also shot 6-for-7 from the charity strip. The Kings had no answer for Aldridge on the defensive end with DeMarcus Cousins out by Keith Smart’s ruling. Sacramento also had no answer on the offensive end with little fire-power to be had with two of their top scorers out.

Led by Meyers Leonard and Will Barton, the Trail Blazers outscored the Kings 31-18 in the second quarter. Barton scored six points, while Leonard went on a 5-0 run himself with 7:16 remaining in the half. Barton hit a deep two-pointer with 30 seconds to go until halftime, extending Portland’s lead to 15 through the game’s first 24 minutes.

Dec 26, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) looks to pass around Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas (22) at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

It was the LaMarcus Aldridge show in the third quarter. Aldridge poured in 11 points to continue his team’s routing of Sacramento. He was assisted by Rookie of the Year candidate Damian Lillard, who nearly recorded his first career triple-double. The rookie shot 7-for-14 from the field, including a trio of three-pointers that led him to his 17 points. More impressively, Lillard also corraled eight total rebounds, and handed out 11 assists while turning the ball over four times in 38 minutes of action.

Trying to match Lillard was Isaiah Thomas, who scored 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting. Thomas saw extended minutes due to the blow out and Evans absence, of course. He also tacked on six assists on just a pair of turnovers.

Still, Portland’s dominance in the paint was no match for a depleted Kings’ front line. J.J. Hickson scored 14 of his 17 points in the paint, and he harassed Sacramento’s thin front court with 14 rebounds. Hickson, who has been a beast on the boards lately, is averaging nearly 15 rebounds per game over his last five outings, and 11 for the season.

The Blazers totaled an astounding 50 points in the paint on the night to Sacramento’s 36.

John Salmons was the lone bright spot for the Kings, tallying 19 points in 29 minutes. His contributions were far from enough, though, as the Kings dropped to an NBA worse 1-12 on the road this season.