NBA
Are the Kings eliminated if they lose against the Pelicans in the play-in game?
The pressure is on with the final ticket to the playoffs as the Pelicans and the Kings face off in the West.
A place in each Conference remains up for grabs as the final game of the three matches that composes the NBA Play-in tournament in the Western Conference is scheduled for New Orleans on Friday night as the Sacramento Kings travel to face the Pelicans.
A No. 8 seed in the Playoffs is on the line for the winner and a chance to meet high flying OKC Thunder with the team from Oklahoma surprising many with a solid season so far and finishing top dogs in the West. The loser sees the curtain come down on the 2023-24 season with the game a real ‘do or die’ match-up.
Kings looking for back-to-back Play-in wins
After seeing off the Warriors in the first round of the Play-in, confidence is high in the Kings camp as they face a New Orleans team without the injured Zion Williamson.
However, optimism in the Kings camp is tempered with the recent results between the teams with the Pelicans winning the past five meetings.
“We’re 0-and-5 against that team, and at some point you have to let it hang and you got to go beat a team that’s beaten you,” Kings star De’Aaron Fox said. “It’s hard to beat a team six times in a row.”
Fox and Domantas Sabonis are the Sacramento stars but sharpshooter Keegan Murray was the standout in a 118-94 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night in an elimination game.
“You want to talk about a monkey on your back,” Murray said. “New Orleans has had our number the whole year. We have to figure out how to contain them and contain their main guys. “It’s a big matchup for us to try to get into the playoffs against a team that has beaten us five times.”
Sacramento coach Mike Brown knows the Pelicans won’t feel sorry about his team’s absences when their top weapon is on the sideline.
“They’re still a very, very good team,” Brown said of New Orleans being without Williamson. “At the end of the day, we’re down two guys who score a lot for us. ... (Brandon Ingram) will probably be more aggressive with Zion out. They have guys who are aggressive and guys who have been in that position before.”