SACRAMENTO – The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off of a very disappointing home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Now it’s on to Sacramento for the start of a daunting, five-game road swing that will take the Pelicans to Golden State, Denver, and Dallas.
The quartet of teams are a combined 84-40, 48-26 at home. The Pelicans, 9-7 outside of the friendly confines of the Smoothie King Center, have dominated the Kings so far this season. In three previous meetings, including the In-Season Tournament quarterfinal, New Orleans has beaten Sacramento by an average score of 124.3-107.3.
But that was then, and this is a Kings team that has been playing solid basketball as of late. Sacramento has taken two straight and four of their last five.
A difficult task could be made more so as Zion Williamson will sit this one out after suffering a contusion to his right quad in the loss to the Clippers. Trey Murphy III will also face a minutes limitation while he deals with tendinitis in his right knee. The guard rotation gets shorter with Jose Alvarado out and Kira Lewis on assignment in Birmingham.
Expect Jordan Hawkins to find some playing time early. He’ll have to make shots and show he has improved as a defender to take advantage of the opportunity.
The Pelicans need to bounce back from Friday’s disappointment in a big way. Beating the Kings once again would show that they can put a tough loss behind them and win a big game on the road.
That would be further evidence that this team is growing up and could be a threat. A loss will only bring more questions.
Keys to the Game
Play with Energy. The Pelicans didn’t match the effort of the Clippers on Friday night. L.A. wanted that game more than the Pelicans did and New Orleans failed for the second time this season in extending a win streak past four games. Over the next five games the Pelicans will be tested by teams with aspirations of deep postseason runs, and they will have to to meet the challenge each and every night from the opening tip.
Control Sabonis. Domantas Sabonis would be the talk of the league right now if it weren’t for the exploits of Nikola Jokic. In his last four games he’s averaged 20.5 points, 19.5 rebounds, and 9.8 assists, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only other players to average 20/19/9 over a four-game span. In three games against the Pelicans this season, his numbers haven’t been far off, with Sabonis posting a line of 19.6 pts, 10.6 rebs, and 8.0 assists. Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance have to keep the All-Star in check for the Pels to win.
Set the Tempo. The Kings are averaging 123.4 points per game over their last five, while the Pelicans are allowing 103.2. The Kings are 15th in the NBA in pace during that stretch, the Pelicans are last. This will be a battle of styles as the Kings try to turn the game into a track meet and the Pels try to impose their will on the defensive end. Whichever team gets its way is the likely winner.
Most Recent Starting Lineups
| New Orleans Pelicans | Sacramento Kings |
| G – CJ McCollum | G – De’Aaron Fox |
| G – Herb Jones | G – Chris Duarte |
| F – Brandon Ingram | F – Keegan Murray |
| F – Zion Williamson | F – Harrison Barnes |
| C – Jonas Valanciunas | C – Domantas Sabonis |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: Jose Alvarado (non-Covid illness), Matt Ryan (right elbow surgery), and Zion Williamson (right quad contusion) are Out.
Sacramento Kings: Trey Lyles (ankle) is Questionable.
Who: Los Angeles Clippers (21-12) vs New Orleans Pelicans (21-14)
Season Series:
- Nov. 20: Pelicans def. Kings, 129-93
- Nov. 22: Pelicans def. Kings, 117-112
- Dec. 4: Pelicans def. Kings, 127-117 (In-Season Tournament quarterfinal)
- Jan. 7: Pelicans at Kings
- Apr. 11: Pelicans at Kings
Where: Golden One Center
When: Jan. 7, 5:00 PM CT
Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans
Where to listen: WRNO 99.5
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I cannot believe y’all didn’t mention the curious lineups Willie put on the floor… BI, Herb, Jose, Dyson and LNJ.
Did I dream this happened today?