Pelicans Road Show Continues With National TV Tilt Against Western Conference Foe Kings

The Pelicans must win out to maintain the sixth seed in the West, with the Kings just two games behind them.

With three regular-season games remaining, the New Orleans Pelicans (47-32) and the Sacramento Kings (45-34) battle on Thursday night is massive for positioning in the Western Conference. Both teams are trying to avoid the Play-In Tournament, and a win on Thursday could position the winner to do just that. New Orleans has beaten the Kings four straight times and seven of the last nine matchups overall.

Sacramento will play without two key players on Thursday, with Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter both nursing injuries. Still, the firepower of De'Aaron Fox makes the Kings a dangerous team. Fox had one of his worst games as a professional the last time these two teams played, with Fox scoring just three points on 1/10 shooting from the field. The New Orleans native no doubt wants to atone for the previous showing he had against the Pelicans.

New Orleans must be aware of guarding the three-point line against the Kings closely. Sacramento is top five in the NBA in three-point attempts and makes. They share the ball collectively, averaging the seventh most assists in the league. Domantas Sabonis leads the league in double-doubles (74) while shooting nearly 60% from the field.

The Pelicans are still without Brandon Ingram for the tenth straight game, but head coach Willie Green says Ingram is making strides in his rehab from his hyperextended knee and is doing some on-court activities. New Orleans could be returning Naji Marshall from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the last couple of games. Marshall's addition back with the team could boost lackluster bench production recently for New Orleans.

CJ McCollum has been playing some of the best basketball as a Pelican recently. He is averaging 31 points over the last four games to provide a huge scoring threat in Ingram's absence. That has lessened the load for Zion Williamson, who is eager to participate in his first playoff action as a professional. Williamson has had success playing against the Kings, with New Orleans going 5-2 in the games he's played versus Sacramento. Williamson will need another solid game in the post to combat Sabonis' production for the Kings.

This is the second-to-last regular season road game for the Pelicans. They travel to San Francisco for a back-to-back game on Friday night against the Warriors, before closing out the regular season at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. New Orleans controls its destiny and if they win out, they will be the No. 6 seed in the West.