Kings 98 - 105 Pelicans summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Play-In

Murpy ended the game with an exclamation mark as the Pelicans snapped a six game home losing streak. They will need to get a few home wins in their first round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, but they are going to have to try to steal one in the top seed's house over the next couple games. 

Ingram finished the game with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and every time the Kings seemed like they might make a run, the lengthy sharp shooter would shut that down with a handful of clutch buckets. 

Trey Murphy got the start with Zion on the bench, and he had a big night all across the board. He had 16, 8 and 6 assists and had a couple big dunks and a couple of other ones that just missed being highlights of the year. 

The Pelicans beat the Kings for the sixth time this season, and before the Play-In game Sacramento coach Mike Brown admitted that NO's size had been a problem all season. It was a problem again on Friday night as the Pelicans got 8 blocks and didn't give the Kings any easy looks down low. 

Naji Marshall was in double digits off the bench as well, posting 11 points, 6 rebound and two steals on a night where the Pelicans kept a comfortable lead for the final 36 minutes. 

Alvarado had 10 points off the bench, and as always set the tone with his energy on the defensive end. He is the spark plug to this team, and they are going to need him for their first round matchup in OKC. 

The Pelicans erased a 7 point lead in the first half and would take control of the game in the second quarter. Trey Murphy's three ball to end the quarter was the beginning of the end for Sacramento. 

Bench points were huge in the Pelicans win over the Kings. Larry Nance Jr. led all scorers off the bench dropping 13 of the 34 New Orleans had from the Smoothie King Center. 

With Zion on the bench, Brandon Ingram was going to have to step up and carry the load on the scoring end. Everyone stepped up, but he got hot early and didn't slow down. 

The New Orleans Pelicans snatched the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with their win over the Sacramento Kings and they did it without Zion Williamson. Brandon Ingram led a Pelicans team that had everyone step up without their leading scorer on the floor. 

There was a battle of a couple big boys from Lithuania in the paint on Friday night and Jonas Valaciunas took the early edge in the first quarter. The Kings would take the lead in the opening few minutes but Valanciunas carried his team for the first 12 minutes of the game. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

The New Orleans Pelicans earn the eight seed, and will play the top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Mitchell with a lay up to end the Kings season, and that's going to do it. 

Jones with the finishing touch on the jam in transition. 

Fox fouled behind the line by Marshall and he hits all three FTs. 

Murphy with a wide open path to the rack and he hammers it home with a two handed jam!

Timeout Kings with 36.1 to go. 

Sabonis streaks to the bucket and slams it home to cut the lead to 8. 

Fox picks off Ingram and takes it for the steal and score. 

Fox drives baseline and lays it up over Valanciunas. 

Barnes with the back door cut and Sabonis found him for the lay up. 

Ingram to the elbow and he drills the pull up J. 

Barnes in the corner for three, and if SAC are going to get back into this game, they need to see more of those to drop. 

Jones finds Murphy under the bucket for the jam out of the timeout. 

Fox kicks it out for Murray and he drills the three ball from the corner. 

Timeout Pelicans with 4:53 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Murray lays it off for Sabonis who splits the seam and jams it home. 

Extra pass from Marshall in the corner to Alvarado on the wing for three! 

The lead is up to 20 and Sacramento needs a timeout 

Ingram fouled by Sabonis and he hits both FTs. 

Ingram takes a dribble and pulls up from inside the arc with the shot clock winding down!

Valanciunas backs Sabonis to under the bucket, gets the jump hook and the foul! FT is good. 

Sabonis down low in traffic and he puts it up and in with the foul! FT is good after the foul on Valanciunas. 

Alvarado running the break and wanted to pass until the last second and threw up a lay up that somehow went in. 

Alvarado on the back door but and Valanciunas found him for a lay up. 

Ingram closes the third quarter with a pull up jumper from the FT line!

The Pelicans have kept their cushion over the Kings heading into the final quarter. Can they seal the deal in the final 12 minutes? 

Nance sends Fox to the FT line again, where he hits both FTs. 

Fox to the line after the foul on Alvarado and he hits one of two FTs. 

Marshall with the floater from outside the lane after the offensive board from Nance. What a game both of them are having off the bench. 

Barnes in the corner and he drills the three ball off the kick out from Mitchell. 

Murphy flying high for the ally oop jam off the feed from Alvarado!

Sabonis penetrates and flushes it home. 

Pick and roll from Ingram who hits Nance in stride for the jam off the roll.

Ingram to the elbow and he pulls up from his spot. 

Murray gets the roll off the pump fake, dribble and mid range jumper from the wing. 

Nance with the spin in the lane and he lays it up off the glass. 

Mitchell was left wide open from the wing and he strokes the three ball!

Ingram out of the timeout and he turns on the baseline for the catch and shoot mid range. 

Fox strings a pull up three from the top of the key! He's got 25 and the Pelicans are going to take a timeout with 6:46 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Mitchell drills a three ball from the top of the key off the kick out from Barnes. 

Murphy races to the rack and hammers it home!

Sabonis off the offensive rebound and puts it up and in in traffic. 

Murphy with the entry pass and Valanciunas slams it down. 

Fox comes out of the timeout and his the fader in the lane. 

Ingram hits Jones in the corner and he drills it from the same spot that McCollum just hit his three. 

Timeout Kings with 9:09 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Jones strips Ellis and finds McCollum in the corner for the fast break three ball!

Fox off the dribble and he gets inside the FT line for the runner. 

The call stands on the shooting foul, and Sabonis hits both FTs. 

Valanciunas got called for the foul but the Pelicans are going to challenge. 

Valanciunas with the offensive board and gets the follow to fall. 

Sabonis missed the jumper with the shot clock running out and Murray as there for the put back. 

Ingram starts the half off with a mid range jumper and gets fouled on the shot by Murray. FT is good. 

WE ARE BACK IN NEW ORLEANS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!

Marshall has been the other revelation off the bench for the Pelicans. He's brought some serious energy with some good defense, that he turned into easy offense. He's got 9 points, while the Kings turned the ball over 9 times and had just 8 assists in the first half. 

Trey Murphy has unlimited range and he just needs an inch of space to put up a triple try. He's got 8 points at the half as Pelicans go to the break shooting 50% from three. 

Nance came off the bench and changed the game around with his easy buckets around the rim. He's got 9 of the 21 bench points for New Orleans and that has been one of the stories of the first half. 

With no Zion, it's going to be up to Ingram and McCollum to step up and lead the team. While McCollum only has 4, Ingram has 9, 5 and 3 assists. 

The Pelicans had some early turnover trouble to start the game and that allowed Sabonis and company to build a seven point first quarter lead. 

Valanciunas might be winning the battle of the Lithuanians right now. He has 12 points and 9 rebounds already whlie Sabonis has 10, 9 and 4 assists. 

Fox and Sabonis got things started for the Kings as Sacramento built up an early lead, but it wouldn't last too long. Sabonis got into some early foul trouble and spent more time on the bench than Kings fans might have hoped. 

We are headed to halftime here from New Orleans! 

The Pelicans took control of the game in the second quarter and lead by 9 going into half. 

Nance to the line after the foul on Lyles and he hits one of two FTs. 

Fox pulls up from the top of the key and he drills it! He's got 18 in the first half!

Vezenhov cuts to the bucket and Fox slips it down to him for the lay up. 

Ingram off the dribble and he takes it into traffic for the lay up. 

Valanciunas gets the hook shot to fall over Sabonis. 

Fox drills the three ball out of the timeout and the Kings needed that. 

Marshall picks off Murray and slams it home in transition. 

Timeout Kings with 2:43 to go in the first half. 

Marshall in the corner and he drills the three off the baseline look from Murphy. 

Fox to the line after Ingram's third foul and he hits one of two FTs. 

Ingram down the paint and he floats it up and over Sabonis. 

Barnes connects on a three ball from the top of the key off the kick out from Sabonis. 

Marshall puts it on the deck from the perimeter and stretches to the basket for the la up. 

Drive from Alvarado and he found Nance cutting down the lane for the jam. 

Barnes slices through the paint and scoops it up and in of the glass. 

Nance with back to back jams, this time off the feed from Murphy!

Timeout Kings with 6:13 to go in the second quarter. 

Lay off from Ingram in the lane and he finds Nance for the open jam!

Marshall hits Murphy on the perimeter and he drills the quick trigger three ball in the corner. 

Quick pass up court off the break from Ingram for Marshall who takes it down the baseline and soars for the one handed jam!

Timeout Kings with under 8:00 to go in the first half. 

Mitchell of the dribble and he hits it from a step behind the FT line. 

Alvarado fighting to the iron, and he gets the runner AND 1! FT is good. 

Murray on the pump fake from the perimeter and he strokes the open three from the wing. 

Valanciunas to the line after the foul on Ellis and he hits both FTs. 

Sabonis spinning in the lane and gets the soft roll of the rim with the jump hook in the lane. 

Valanciunas fighting on the boards and gets the tip in to fall after the missed floater from McCollum. 

Murphy with the catch and shoot off the deflected pass to the perimeter and he sinks the high arching three ball!

We are at the end of the first quarter with the Kings up by two. It's been tight from the start. Fox has 11 and Sabonis has 8, to lead the Kings. Valanciunas leads the Pels with 6. 

McCollum hits them with a hesitation move and speeds to the rack and reverses it up in traffic on the break. 

Fox got an open path to the rack and blows past everyone for the lay up. He's got 11 already. 

Barnes to the line after the foul on Nance and he hits both FTs. 

Muphy drives and dumps it off for Nance who raises for the one handed jam. 

Barnes backs down Murphy and hits the leaner in the lane to fall off the front of the rim. 

Murphy to the line after Sabonis picks up his second foul and he his hits both FTs. 

Fox stops on a dime at the FT line and drills the mid range jumper. 

Timeout Pelicans with 4:21 to go in the first quarter. 

Sabonis hesitates down low and shakes off a couple defenders for the lay up in the lane. 

Fox slashes to the bucket and double clutches to the iron for the lay up. 

McCollum takes it off the dribble and lays it up and in for his first bucket of the night. 

Fox drills a three ball from the wing out of the timeout!

Ingram draws a double team and he slips it down to Valanciunas for the lay in. Both big men are starting strong out of the gate. 

We are heading to our first timeout with under 7:00 to go in the first quarter. 

Sabonis takes a dribble around Valanciunas and slams it home with two hands!

Valanciunas up and under Sabonis after the baseline dump off from McCollum. 

Ingram was left alone at the top of the key and he drills the three ball!

Fox blows by Jones and lays it up off the glass with the left hand. 

Murry to the line after the foul on Ingram and he hits one of two FTs. 

Ingram to the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper off the dribble. 

Sabonis with the interception at mid court and he takes it all the way for the lunging dunk. 

Valanciunas answers back with a jump hook in the paint to get the Pelicans on the board. 

Sabonis to the line after the foul on Valanciunas and he hits both FTs. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM NEW ORLEANS!!

The Kings have all hands on deck tonight. DeAaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are going to need to be great, but the other guys are going to have to have big nights in New Orleans. Harrison Barnes, Tyrese Ellis and most importantly Keegan Murray are all stepping into the spotlight in Smoothie King Center. 

With no Zion, the Pelicans are going with their small line up. Thankfully for New Orleans they got Brandon Ingram back right at the end of the season and that will give them a bit of size, but Zion's absence will be felt. It's McCollum, Jones, Ingram, Murphy and Valanciuanas to start for the Pelicans. 

NBA

Why isn’t Zion Williamson playing in the Play-in tournament game against the Kings?

If the Pelicans are going to advance tonight, they are going to have to do it without their top scorer, and anchor on the offensive end. Zion Williamson was having the night of his life in his postseason debut against the Lakers but had to sit the final few minutes and will be sidelined tonight. Our Fidel Rubio has more.

Season series

While the Kings have been given another shot of life to extend their season, they are going to have to get through a team that beat them in all five matchups this season. This series has been incredibly one sided this season, with the Pelicans beating the Kings twice in New Orleans, and three times in Sacramento. Two of those wins came in 30+ point blowouts, two of the games were decided by 10 points or less and the final match up which came just over a week ago was decided by 12 points. That was a wire to wire win for the Pels who got 31 point performances from CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson as the Pelicans built up a 19 point 4th quarter lead and held off the Kings in Sacramento. 

Return of the Mack

Having a handful of guys that can light up the scoreboard on any given night. With Zion on the sidelines tonight it’s going to be up to CJ McCollum to do the heavy lifting. He was brilliant in the Pelicans final stretch of the season, scoring 25 points or more in the last seven games leading up the the Play-In including four games of 30+. If the opening Play-In game, he went cold scoring just 9 points on 4/15 shooting. It’s not just going to be up to McCollum. The Pelicans have Trey Murphy and Brandon Ingram at their disposal but McCollum has been Mr. Consistent for them this season, especially in the final stretch of the regular season.  

Calling Mr. Clutch

The Kings got a massive performance from Keegan Murray who had the best playoff performance of his young career, but the Kings are going to need their big duo to come up big tonight in New Orleans. DeAaron Fox has been Mr. Clutch for the Kings over the last few years, and they are going to need their go to guy to step up against a tough Pelicans team that can light up the scoreboard. If Fox is hot, that will make life a little easier for Domantas Sabonis who is a walking triple double threat, but he can struggle at times against Jonas Valanciunas. Both players have been slightly off their game lately, but a win tonight could put a very dangerous Kings team in a position to challenge the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. 

Kings last game

The Kings backing into the Play-In after winning just four of their final eleven games, but woke up at the right time in their elimination game against the Golden State Warriors. They jumped all over Golden State in the first half, building a 16 point lead thanks to Keegan Murray’s fantastic shooting performance from downtown. He had 8 three pointers and dragged down 9 rebounds as the Kings shot 46% from DT. The Warriors were able to cut the lead to just one early in the third quarter but the Kings would pull away in the final 20 minutes and cruise to a 24 point victory. 

Pelicans last game

After getting blown out by the Lakers in the regular season finale, the Pelicans came out ready for a scrap against the Lakers on Tuesday night. Zion Williamson participated in the first postseason game of his career and had a bittersweet night as he locked horns with LeBron James. Williamson had 40 points and 11 rebounds on one of the best nights of his career, but would have to leave a tight game late in the fourth quarter due a hamstring injury. The Pelicans jumped out to an eight point first quarter lead, but that would quickly disappear as LeBron and the Lakers let their playoff experience lead the way against a relatively young team. All five Lakers had 10+ points with LeBron leading the way, dropping 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. LA led by 18 in the middle of the third quarter, but the Pelicans would make a late run to tie the game up with under 4:00 to go. That was right around the time when Zion had to head to the locker room after suffering a hamstring injury. D’Angelo Russell hit the biggest shot of the game, drilling a three to put LA up by 4 with under a minute left and the Lakers were able to hit their FTs the rest of the way and hang on for the win. 

We are live from NOLA 

Hello everyone and welcome to New Orleans where the Pelicans are back for a third straight game looking to advance to the playoffs, and they will be hoping that the third time is a charm. On the final day of the regular season they could have snagged the six seed with a win against the Lakers. They failed to so. Then there was a rematch with the Lakers with the seven seed up for grabs. LA beat them for a second straight game. Tonight they have a chance for the eighth and final seed in the West, but will have to beat a Sacramento team that is coming off of a must win match up with the Golden State Warriors. 

Kings vs. Pelicans 

Two teams vying for the final spot in the NBA playoffs face off tonight from New Orleans in the final Play-In game of the season. The eight seed in the West is on the line tonight as the Pelicans host the Sacramento Kings in an all or nothing game in which the winner will move on to the first round to take on the top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder while the loser will start their offseason right after the end of game buzzer sounds from Smoothie King Center. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s do-or-die game from the Big Easy.