Pelicans 135 - 123 Kings summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA

Murphy ended the night with 27 points on 6/12 shooting from downtown and Zion matched McCollum's 31 points as the Pelican wrapped ended up cruising the win in Sacramento. 

The Pelicans didn't secure the sixth spot, but they did secure they can finish no lower than the 7th spot in the West. They have a huge game against the Warriors on Friday night. The Kings dropped their sixth in their last nine games and now have no chance to avoid the playoffs. The Lakers and Warriors are nipping at their heels and if they keep losing they could wind up in 10th place. 

CJ McCollum was hot all night but he kicked it into overdrive in the fourth quarter. New Orleans were up 9 going into the fourth, and stretched the lead to 20 to bury the Kings. McCollum finished the night with 31 points on 9/12 shooting from downtown. 

Jose Alvarado had a couple of big shots in the third quarter when the Kings cut the lead to two points. He had two threes in a matter of seconds to put the Pelicans back in control going into the fourth quarter. 

Zion went to the locker room late in the first half after falling his left hand, but returned after the halftime break and turned it on in the third quarter. It was a big scare for New Orleans, especially with his history of injuries and his limited late season experience. He didn't look ok, he looked great after a short trip to the locker. 

Murphy had 20 at halftime and continuously hit big shot after big shot when it seemed like the Kings were on their way to drawing the game level. 

The Pelicans went on an 18-0 run in the opening quarter which put them up by 23 before the end of the first. Even though the Kings would answer back with a 15-0 right after that, they would spend the rest of the night chasing the Pelicans. 

Trey Murphy III had 31 points in the Pelicans previous game in Portland, and followed up that performance with 27 in Sacramento. New Orleans had three players that scored over 27 points in one of the most important games of the season. 

CJ McConnell and the three ball were the stories of the night in Sacramento. McConnell was on fire all night, but he wasn't the only that was money from long range. New Orleans hit 22 of their 40 three point attempts and kept their cushion after jumping out to an early double digit lead. 

The New Orleans Pelicans went into Sacramento and came out with a massive win over the Kings to inch closer to a direct playoff spot in the West. CJ McCollum went wild from downtown in the Pelicans 135-123 from Golden 1 Center. 

Both teams came into the game having lost a handful of their last games, and both teams knew how important this game was in the postseason race. New Orleans was the only team that came out looking like they had a sense of urgency early on in this must win matchup. 

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

Zion attacking the rack and lays it up over Sabonis and that should do it with under a minute to go. 

Sabonis with the lay up down the lane. 

Murphy comes up with another dagger! He drills it from the wing after the kick out from Jones. 

Handoff at the top of the key from Sabonis and Murray drills the three ball!

Mitchell to the cut and the Pelicans let him go untouched for the lay up. 

Zion goes into the body of Barnes and lays it up and in. 

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

Zion goes right at Sabonis, misses the lay up but gets the put back to fall. 

Jones was picked off by Fox who takes it coast to coast on the steal and score. 

Fox with a three ball off the step back, and hold on a second...10-0 run from the Kings. 

Timeout NO with 3:47 to go in the 4th. 

Sabonis cuts to the bucket and Mitchell found him in stride for the lay up. 

Fox spinning in the lane and gets the leaner to go. 

Murray with back to back threes, but again, it's too late. 

Daniels down the lane and he floats it up off the glass. 

Murray with a three ball, but that comes a little too late for SAC. 

Alvarado jacks a three ball out of the timeout and the Pelicans have 21 from DT!

Zeller driving baseline and Alvarado hit him for the jam!

TImeout Kings with 6:48 to go!

McCollum again! Catch and shoot off the curl at the top of the key!

Fox with the fader in the lane and he got fouled on the shot. FT is no good. 

McCollum with another dagger three ball out of the timeout! He's 8/11 from downtown!

Fox lost the ball, and it results in a Murphy Alley oop jam on the other end!

Timeout Kings with 8:11 to go in the 4th!

Valanciunas fell to the ground tipped the ball over to McCollum who found Daniels wide open for the jam. 

Fox into the lane and the hesitation move shakes off defenders as he puts it up from underneath. 

Vezenkov slashing to the cup and Len found him for the lay up. 

Alvarado with the runner from out side the lane. 

Quick trigger from McCollum with the clock winding down and he drills it!

Vezenkov drills a three ball on the wing on the catch and shoot. 

McCollum was left open from the top of the key and he strokes the three ball off the dish from Daniels!

Len with the lay up off the dump down from Lyles. 

Valanciiunas gets on the baseline McCollum and drills the mid range jumper. 

WE ARE HEADED TO THE FOURTH QUARTER!!!

SAC cut the lead down the two but Zion had 17 in that quarter and made sure the Pelicans didn't give up their lead. 

Fox bullies his way to the cup and lays it up and in through traffic. 

Zion slashes down the lane and soars for the lay up. 

Mitchell to the line after the foul on Zeller and he hits one of two FTs. 

Daniels in the corner and he answers back with a three ball off the kick out from McCollum. 

Lyles steps into a three ball and drills it from the wing off the dish from Fox. 

Zion picks off Mitchell and finds Alvarado for the three ball from the top of the key!

Mitchell to the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper. 

Murphy hits the technical FT out of the timeout. 

Fox whistled for an offensive foul, and then gets T'd up for throwing the ball at the refs feet. 

Timeout from SAC with 2:35 to go in the third. 

Williamson going back to the bucket and lays it up and in. He's got 23 on the night. 

Barnes in the corner and he answers back with a three ball!

Alvarado strokes a three ball on the break with no one underneath the basket for a rebound. 

Daniels sends Barnes to the line line where he makes both FTs. 

Zion to the cup and he gets the lay up to fall. He's taking over this third quarter. 

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

Zion pulls up from just inside he FT line and drills the mid range jumper. 

Murray got the offensive board off the missed FT and found Barnes for the lay up on the second chance points!

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

Zion to the line after the foul on Fox and he hits both FTs. 

Barnes burns pass three defenders and lays it up and in off the glass fro the right side. 

Sabonis hits the FT out of the timeout and the lead is five. 

Sabonis cuts to the iron, gets bumped on his way and gets the lay up to go. He'll be at the line coming out of the timeout with under 7:00 to go in the third quarter. 

McCollum pulls up from the FT line and drills the mid range jumper. 

Barnes drives, kicks out and finds Murray for the three ball in the corner!

Zion with the runner in the lane, and he gets it plus the foul! FT is good. 

Murray drills the three ball off the kick out from Fox. 

Valanciunas from the baseline and he drills the mid range jumper. 

Zion is back on the floor and he lays it up and in. Apparently he injured his finger on his left hand but it seems to be ok. 

Fox to the line after the foul on Jones and he hits both FTs. 

McCollum starts where he left off, with a three ball to start the quarter. He's got 17 on the night. 

Barnes gets into the lane and drops the floater to start the third quarter. 

WE ARE BACK IN SACRAMENTO FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTON!!!

Murphy is the reason the Pelicans have been able to fend off the comeback to this point of the game. He has 20 points on 5/9 shooting from downtown to take NO into halftime with a 6 point lead. 

Domantas Sabonis is coming off a streak breaking game in which he failed to register of double double, but he is three rebounds away from starting a new streak tonight. The Kings have got within five since going down 23 but haven't been able to draw level. 

The Kings went down 23 in the first half after an 18-0 run from the Pelicans, but the Kings punched back with a 15-0 run of their own. The Kings would try clawing back in the game for the rest of the half. 

Zion Williamson was dominating for a big portion of that first half, but fell after getting a shot attempt blocked and came up holding his wrist. He went to the locker room shortly after the play, and we are waiting on word of wether he will be back tonight or not. 

Trey Murphy had 30+ last game against the Trail Blazers last game, and had 12 points in the first quarter thanks to his fantastic shooting. 

McCollum and the Pels scorched through the first half from behind the arc, shooting 57.1% from downtown. McCollum has 14 on 4/6 attempts from DT. 

The Pelicans got off to a dream start in this vital game in the chase for an automatic playoff spot. Zion and Trey Murphy got things started off on the right foot with some good defense that turned into offense. 

WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME AND THIS IS ANYONES GAME AFTER 24 MINUTES!

The Pelicans took an early 23 point lead, and the Kings have spent the rest of the way clawing back into this game. 

Sabonis with the slam after Murray got the offensive board and that's how the first half is going to end. 

Three ball from Daniels on the wing and every time the Kings start to close the gap the Pelicans have an answer. 

Barnes gets the lay up to fall as we approach the 1:00 mark in the first half.  

Valanciunas fighting for the offensive board, and he tips it out for Murphy for three!

Sabonis gets the tip in off the missed three ball from Murray. 

Barnes on the drive from the baseline and he reverses it off the glass. 

McCollum drives down the lane and lays it up and in. 

TImeout Pelicans with 2:44 to go. 

Fox with a lob over the top and he finds Barnes who puts it up before the defense could get there. 

Valanciunas fouled by Mitchell and he hits both FTs at the line. 

Sabonis lays it up ad in off the glass and gets fouled by Valanciunas. FT is no good. 

Murphy to the line after the foul on Murray and he hits both FTs. 

MItchell with his second three ball of the night off the bench and the lead is back to 6. 

Valanciunas pulls up from the top of the key and hits it from behind the FT line. 

Zion just went back to the locker room after taking a fall and quickly holding his wrist before getting to his feet. 

Ellis running the floor after the turnover from Jones and Sabonis hit him for the lay up. 

Timeout Pelicans with 6:00 to go in the first half. 

Mitchell answers back with a three ball from the top of the key after the lay off from Sabonis. 

Murphy with a three ball again! He's on fire tonight after scoring 30+ last game. 

Sabonis trailing the fast break and he slices through a couple defenders for the slam. 

Fox missed the lay up but Sabonis was there with the board and the put back underneath. 

McCollum with back to back three balls, and the Kings are going to need a timeout!

Back and forth we go with 8:27 to go in the 2nd quarter. 

McCollum sticks a quick trigger three ball from the wing off the kick out from Murphy. 

Fox with the slam out of the timeout after he picks off Zion. 

Timeout Pelicans with under 10 to go in the second quarter. 

Catch and shoot three ball from the wing by Lyles and that's two in a row for Sacramento!

Ellis comes out of the timeout and hits a three ball from the corner, and the Kings have showed time and time again they aren't going to go down without a fight. 

Marshall gets the mid range shot to go, and just like that the Pelicans are back up by 15. 

Timeout Kings with 10:42 to go in the 2nd quarter. 

Quick trigger from downtown for McCollum who drills it in transition. 

Zion working on the baseline and floats it over Len. 

Fox opens the quarter with a three ball and the run is up to 15-0!!!

Fox fouled by Daniels to end the quarter and he hits both FTs. 

The Kings end the quarter on a 12-0 run after allowing an 18-0 run from the Pelicans. 

Murphy leads NO with 12 quick ones, Zion's got 6. Fox has 12 for the Kings and Barnes has 5. Sabonis has yet to score after getting held under 10 last game. 

Fox fouled by Alvarado on the three ball, and he hits all three FTs. 

Fox walks into a three ball from the wing and he drills it. 

Mitchell with a drive to the left side and he scoops it off the glass. 

Fox spins in the lane and finally breaks the Pelicans run with a floater. 

Valanciunas fouled by Len and he hits one of two FTs. 

Zion picks the pocket of Fox and cocks back and slams it on the other end!

Murphy launches another one and drills it! The Pels are on a 15-0 run and that will bring a timeout from the Sacramento Kings. 

Murphy is starting to cook, as he drops the three ball from the wing!

Murphy fouled on the three attempt by Jones, and he sinks all three FTs. 

Alvarado was left open in the corner and he drops the three ball for back-to-back treys for New Orleans. 

Valanciunas kicks it out to Jones who strokes the three ball from the wing!

Murray sent to the line by Murphy and he hits both FTs. 

Fox is on the board for the first time tonight, getting into the lane for a floater.

Barnes comes out of th timeout and gets the roll off the front iron on the elbow J. 

Zion pushes Sabonis out of his way down low and lays it up and in. 

Timeout Kings with 7:36 to go in the first quarter. 

McCollum answers back with a three ball of his own to get him name on the score sheet. 

Barnes drills a three ball from the top of the key, and the Kings need to see a little more of that. 

Jones lays it up and it was bblocked by Barnes but he was called for a goaltend. 

Murray finally gets the Kings on the board with a mid range jumper from the FT line. 

Zion kicks it out to Murphy who drills the three ball in the corner!

Valanciunas gets the offensive board and put back with the foul on Sabonis! FT is no good. 

Zion stripped Sabonis and sprinted to the iron for the lay up on the break. 

Valanciunas gets us started with a turn around from the block and he uses the glass to cushion it home. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM SACRAMENTO!!!

The Pelicans know that Brandon Ingram is close to coming back, but he will be out tonight in Sacramento. That means Trey Murphy III is in the starting five with McCollum, Jones, Zion and Valanciunas. 

Keegan Murray was questionable coming into tonight, but he got the green light for this crucial match up tonight. He is joined by Fox, Ellis, Barnes and Sabonis who is looking to restart a double double streak after having it snapped last game against the Thunder. 

What's left?

After tonight there are just two games left for the Pelicans and the Kings. This game could swing the pendulum one way or the other, but let’s not forget those last two games. The Pelicans are in sixth place coming into tonight, but they have to play three teams that are currently below them in the postseason picture which are gunning for them while trying to climb the ladder. The Kings have it a little easier, although their next game could be as trick if not trickier than tonight’s. Here  is what awaits both teams: 

Kings: vs. Suns on Friday, vs. Trail Blazers on Sunday 

Pelicans: @ Warriors Friday, vs. Lakers on Sunday

How the West is shaping up

Taking a look at the standings in the West, we see the Pelicans sitting in sixth, which would get them an automatic bid to the playoffs. They are hanging on to it by a thread with the Suns sitting just a half game behind them and the Kings two games behind them. Obviously this is a must win game for the Kings if they want to consider having a chance to steal the six seed from the Pelicans. While they have their sights set on who is above them, they have to be careful of who is coming from behind. The Lakers are just a half game behind them, and the Warriors are a game behind them. If things continue to go south, the Kings could go from having to win one Play-In game in the 7th and 8th seed to having to win two games, both of which could be on the road if they wind up in 10th place. 

Kings royalty 

The Kings just got back into the playoff conversation last year after a lost postseason absence. There may be some people who still don’t know this team that well, but despite their run of bad form this is a dangerous team in the Western Conference. They have one of the most clutch players in the league in D’Aaron Fox who has led his team in scoring in 10 of the last 12 games. Domantas Sabonis, while he failed to extend his double-double streak last game, is a walking double double and many times a walking triple double. While they have the weapons to be dangerous, last year’s Coach of the Year Mike Brown has seen his team inexplicably spiral down the standings. Tonight they look to turn things around knowing they have an outside shot of a securing the six seed. 

Road to Zion

For the first time in his career, we are set to see Zion Williamson take the big stage for the New Orleans Pelicans. His short career has been constantly interrupted by injury, but this year he is finally staying healthy and the Pelicans are thriving because of his fitness. Apparently, he has been kept out of the endless amounts fantastic restaurants in the Big Easy and that has been a big reason for his and the Pelicans success. He is averaging 23 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5 assists this season, but we are all licking our lips to see how he performs in the playoffs. The Pelicans should already be in playoff mode considering what’s at stake in their final few games. 

Kings last game

The Kings loss in OKC was their third in four games and fifth in their last eight. It was always going to be a tough ask to go into the house of one of the best teams in the league and come out with a win, but D’Aaron Fox gave it his best shot. He had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as he went toe to toe with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who dropped 40 to lead his team to victory. Domantas Sabonis didn’t have as bright of game, in fact his double double streak came to an end at 61 games as he scored just 8 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. Despite his struggles the Kings led for three quarters, but lost their grip of the lead in the final 12 minutes and the Thunder edged Sacramento who failed to score in the final 2:48 seconds of the game. 

Pelicans last game

After snapping their losing streak in Phoenix in a game that had heavy postseason implications the Pelicans went into Portland and did what they needed to do, win on the road and keep their cushion on the rest of the chasing pack. It didn’t come easy in Portland, but after a sluggish first half Trey Murphy III and the Pels came to life and pulled away against a team looking to play spoiler. New Orleans shot just 41% from the field but they forced 22 turnovers and held Portland to just 45 points in the second half. The win comfortable, but necessary as they enter a gauntlet to close out the season. 

We are live from Golden 1

Hello everyone and welcome to Sacramento where the Kings have spiraled out of direct playoff position and may have lost their chance at avoiding the Play-In after losing five of their last eight games in the most crucial time of the season. Tonight they return home for the rest of the regular season after a four game road stint, looking to win out and climb up the Western Conference ladder. The Pelicans had a strange run of four straight losses at home before hitting the road and beating the Suns and the Trail Blazers over their last two games. Those two wins have the in prime position to keep hold of the six seed, but the know they can’t afford a slip tonight with two tough games coming up to end the season. 

Pelicans vs. Kings 

They are all going to be big games from here on out in the Western Conference but this one holds particular weight in the race for postseason position. The sliding Sacramento Kings look to turn things around tonight at home against the New Orleans Pelicans who are desperate to avoid the Play-In Tournament and can take a big step in doing so tonight. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from the Golden 1 Center.