Pelicans Flying 'On The Same Page' Ahead Of Kings Rematch
New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans (7-7) host the Sacramento Kings (8-5) Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center. These teams met Monday night, a game in which New Orleans ran away with a 129-93 victory, making the 36-point difference the fifth-highest margin of victory in team history.
Coach Willie Green called Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson the "best duo in the NBA" earlier in the season. They looked every bit the part on Monday evening, becoming the second duo in franchise history to score 18+ points in a quarter during the same game. Ingram singlehandedly outscored the Kings himself in the second quarter 18-16 and finished with a game-high 31 points.
The job Dyson Daniels and Herb Jones did defensively on Kings star De'Aaron Fox proved pivotal for the Pels success. Fox started the game scoring nine points in the first quarter and seemed poised for another big night. The Kings guard scored just five points the remainder of the ballgame as the pressure applied by Daniels and Jones proved too much for Fox to handle.
Nov 20, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) passes the ball against New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Sacramento was coming off a back-to-back game in New Orleans, so the Pelicans should expect a better-rested Kings team. The Pelicans must control the paint again as they did the other night. New Orleans won the rebounding battle 55-36 and outscored the Kings 64-40 in the paint. Jonas Valanciunas nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and a team-high seven assists on the night. New Orleans had 38 assists on the night. The 'big Man''s metrics from mibetting.com show a strong performance gain in the last two weeks of the season.
On Monday, Jose Alvarado made his season debut scoring five points and dishing three assists in 15 minutes of action. New Orleans is looking to get healthier. Both CJ McCollum and Larry Nance, Jr. were full participants in practice on Tuesday. Nance, Jr.'s status is upgraded to questionable after dealing with a rib injury.
On the Kings' side, sharpshooter Keegan Murray is dealing with a back issue that lists him as questionable for the matchup. Murray and Kevin Huerter combined to shoot 3/10 from beyond the arc. Sacramento, as a team, shot just 24% from the three-point line. New Orleans made 12 three-point shots while shooting 42% from downtown.
The 93 points the Kings scored were the second-lowest output offensively on the season for them. They rank fifth in the NBA in offensive rating and average over 115 points per game. New Orleans' defense over the past week has greatly improved. They are ninth in the NBA in points allowed over the last three games.
New Orleans is currently 3-2 on their current six-game home stand. A win on Friday gives them a winning record during this latest home stretch. The Pelicans hit the road on Friday to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA In-season Tournament.
