NEW ORLEANS – After their heartbreaking loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, the Pelicans will try to get back on track once again, as the Sacramento Kings come to the Smoothie King Center for the first of two games this week.
The Kings have won six in a row, including their last three on the road, and are winning convincingly. Sacramento has beating their opponents by an average of 10.3 points per game.
Though Sacramento has plenty of offensive talent, their defense has been exceptional as of late. During their win streak they rank seventh in the NBA in defensive rating (110.2) and fourth in net rating (10.1).
The Kings’ attack starts with De’Aaron Fox, who has been a menace against the Pelicans over the years, averaging 23.1 pts and 7.2 assists in 17 games against New Orleans in his career. It will fall on Dyson Daniels and Herb Jones to slow him down, something they have done very well against some of the best guards in the league.
Inside, Jonas Valanciunas and company will have to deal with the scoring and passing of Domantas Sabonis, while wings Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray provide athleticism and scoring from the outside.
New Orleans will get a boost with the return of reserve guard Jose Alvarado. The fan favorite will provide some depth in the backcourt and brings energy to a team that sometimes struggles to sustain it. The question for Alvarado is where will his minutes come from?
With two games remaining on this home stand, the Pelicans must earn at least a split to make it a respectable one. New Orleans already has four home losses, and one or two more before December would make it that much harder for the Pelicans to reach the top of the Western Conference.
Probable Starting Lineups
| Sacramento Kings | New Orleans Pelicans |
| G – De’Aaron Fox (31.9 pts, 6.1 ast, 41.7 3P%) | G – Dyson Daniels (8.9 pts, 5.1 reb, 3.8 ast) |
| G – Chris Duarte (5.2 pts, 1.9 reb, 37.5 3P%) | G – Herbert Jones (11.0 pts, 2.1 stl, 1.6 blk) |
| F – Harrison Barnes (11.1 pts 2.9 reb) | F – Brandon Ingram (23.4 pts, 5.6 reb, 5.2 ast) |
| F – Keegan Murray (13.9 pts, 6.4 reb) | F – Zion Williamson (21.8 pts, 6.3 reb, 4.4 ast) |
| C – Domantas Sabonis (20.8 pts, 12.9 reb, 7.2 ast) | C – Jonas Valanciunas (13.6 pts, 8.4 reb) |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: CJ McCollum (right lung), Trey Murphy III (left knee partial meniscectomy), Larry Nance Jr. (right rib fracture), Matt Ryan (calf), and EJ Liddell (G League) are OUT
Sacramento Kings: Kevin Huerter (finger), Alex Len (ankle), and Trey Lyles (calf) are OUT
Who: Sacramento Kings (8-4) vs New Orleans Pelicans (6-7)
Series history: Pelicans lead all-time 39-33, Sacramento won 2022-23 season series 2-1
Where: Smoothie King Center
When: November 20, 7:00 PM CT
Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans
Where to listen: WRNO 99.5
READ MORE
- Pelicans Hunt Timberwolves In Search of First 3-Game Win Streak of the Season
- Dyson Daniels Displaying Impressive Growth After Rough Season Start
- Pelicans Start 6-Game Home Stand By Trying to End 4-Game Losing Streak
- Defending Champion Nuggets Present A Major Road Test for the Pelicans
- After Big Comeback in OKC, Pelicans Come Back to The Blender to Host Pistons
- Pels Host Knicks Seeking First Home Opening Win Since 2020-21 Season
- Brandon Ingram: Can He Elevate From All-Star to All-NBA?
- Matt Ryan: Great Story of Perseverance Now Also Pelicans’ 3-point Back-up Plan
- A Lot On Herb: Jones Remains Keystone of Pelicans Defense
We can score, but can we stop…
Willie has one go to coaching hand signal…signaling for more pace..wish he had a hand signal for better rebounding, or fewer turnovers, or zone offense.
19 assists and 5 turnovers is exceptional for a half.
Jose back has energized team. Ball movement last 4 games has been excellent. One thing about Zellar is he knows how to box out. Great first 3 quarters
Great 2 victories over Kangz. If we can stay healthy and keep good ball movement we can compete with anyone. This home stand was tough teams and we went 4-2 but could have went 5-1. The defense of Herb and Dyson has been fantastic. And Val has looked locked in these past 5 days. And Zion is unstoppable. The last 5 games Pels are number 1 in assists. I hope when CJ returns he will not revert the team to ISO ball.
GEAUX PELS!!!