SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Without their best player again, the Portland Trail Blazers put together their second impressive victory in as many nights. But make no mistake, they want point guard Damian Lillard back as soon as possible.

"He was joking that he should stay away, but no, let's get him back," point guard CJ McCollum said after leading the way in Portland's 98-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena on Sunday night. "But I think it's good to show how we're capable of playing even without him."

McCollum scored 35 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and added nine assists to lead Portland (13-20), which was coming off a 105-76 home victory over the Cavaliers on Saturday. Another guard, Allen Crabbe, led the way against Cleveland with a career-high 26 points.

"I don't think guys need to put up a career night when (Lillard) isn't playing," McCollum said. "We need to be efficient and make smart plays, and that's what we were able to do in this game.

With Lillard out because of inflammation in his left planta fascia, McCollum canned 14 of 28 shots, recorded four steals and turned over the ball only twice. He joined Clyde Drexler as only the second Blazer in 30 years with at least 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in a game.

McCollum is averaging 23.3 points in the past three games.

"I had a really good night," he said.

McCollum's two biggest buckets came late, a top-of-the-key jumper that made it 93-87 with 1:27 to go after he came up with a loose ball, and a mid-range jumper from the wing that made it 95-89 with 31.4 seconds left.

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins finished with 36 points and six rebounds, and his second 3-pointer of the contest cut Portland's lead to 95-92 with 24 seconds left. However, after McCollum knocked in one of two free throws, Cousins missed a 3-pointer to end it.

"CJ had a big night in this one, and Allen had a big one (against the Cavaliers), but the difference really in both of these wins was our defense," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "It's been a step up for us."

Cousins missed nine of his 11 shots in the final period, and Sacramento made just three of 22 shots overall in the final 12 minutes.

Portland forward Maurice Harkless' driving dunk erased Sacramento's 84-83 advantage with 9:08 left, and the Blazers never trailed again.

Sacramento also hurt itself with 23 turnovers that led to 28 Portland points.

"As a team, we need to do a better job of valuing all of our possessions," Kings coach George Karl said before abruptly exiting his postgame interview session.

Harkless scored 13 points, and forward Meyers Leonard added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, which lost five straight before beating Cleveland on Saturday. Leonard's presence proved formidable in the final quarter.

"I just did my best to draw him away from the hoop," Leonard said. "We thought he was really their only inside protection."

Forward Omri Casspi added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento, the 13th time in 14 games that he scored at least 10 points. Casspi also canned three of four from 3-point range, lifting his percentage to 45.7 percent, the fifth-best mark in the NBA.

Kings guard Darren Collison scored 10 points, and NBA assists leader Rajon Rondo had 15 helpers to go with nine points. Rondo also had eight turnovers.

"We were kind of careless with the ball a little bit early and also in the end," Kings forward Rudy Gay said, "so we've just to take care of it."

Gay's shooting also hurt Sacramento. He finished with seven points and made just two of 12 shots from the field.

NOTES: Terry Stotts became the sixth coach in Portland history to record 150 victories when the Blazers beat Cleveland on Saturday. He joined Jack Ramsay (453), Rick Adelman (291), Nate McMillan (266), Mike Dunleavy (190) and Maurice Cheeks (162). ... Kings PG Darren Collison averaged 15.8 points and made 25 of 42 shots (59.5 percent) on Sacramento's four-game road trip. He has scored in double digits in 14 of his past 15 contests. ... Portland C Ed Davis, the NBA's leader in offensive rebounds off the bench, sat out with a sprained left ankle. Davis was injured when he stepped on the foot of Cleveland C Anderson Varejao early in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game. ... Kings F Omri Casspi started his 10th consecutive game since C Willie Cauley-Stein was lost with a broken right index finger, Casspi is averaging 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in that span.