In Sunday night’s NBA action, the New Orleans Pelicans thrashed the Sacramento Kings 133-100, with CJ McCollum leading the way with 30 points and seven 3-pointers.
The Pelicans defeated the Kings in all four of their season encounters, including a quarterfinal victory in the In-Season Tournament in Sacramento, to increase their winning run on the road to six games.
In the win, Brandon Ingram scored 15 points and Jonas Valanciunas delivered a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. of the Pelicans gave the team high marks for their effort, highlighting their superb playmaking on both ends of the court.
“It was exquisite… simply wire to wire,” stated Green. “Watching the basketball was enjoyable. They performed on the floor’s two ends.
For the Pelicans, who are fighting for a Western Conference playoff berth, the victory was crucial. Following a 16-point home setback to the Clippers on Friday, they made a tremendous comeback.
Star guard De’Aaron Fox struggled, scoring just three points on 1-10 shooting, while Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Brown, the coach of the Kings, apologized to the supporters for his team’s poor performance and praised the Pelicans.
Brown remarked, “Give New Orleans a lot of credit.” “They entered here and kicked our (butts) without hesitation, and they did it for four quarters.”
“It was nonexistent for us to play that way and to have no fight to stay in the game and get back in it,” Brown said.
With Zion Williamson out with a right quad contusion and Jose Alvarado missing the game with a non-COVID sickness, the Pelicans still prevailed handily.
According to McCollum, “Guys did a great job of moving the ball around, setting great screens for me, allowing me to shoot the ball with confidence and maintain rhythm and balance.”
With a 12 point lead at the end of the first quarter and a 12-2 surge in the second, New Orleans established early control of the game. McCollum was really important, especially during this phase. On the floor, Ingram recognized McCollum’s influence and the group’s collective wisdom.
Some smart people were on the floor, according to Ingram. “We continued giving him the basketball where he was hiding. We usually attempt to go where the action is, and today he felt comfortable enough that we simply kept feeding him.
The Pelicans led by 27 points at the half and increased their lead to 40 points by the conclusion of the third quarter, demonstrating their continuing dominance. They were also quite good at grabbing rebounds, outscoring the Kings 51–25.
Although Coach Green gave credit to the favorable matchup versus Sacramento, he acknowledged the difficulty of defeating a team four times in a season. He anticipates that the Kings will be more ready for their upcoming meeting.
We recognize that it’s difficult to defeat a team four times, added Green. In the NBA, certain teams are more suited for particular matchups than others. We appear to be a good fit for Sacramento. They’ll be prepared when that moment arrives because we play them again.
In the near future, the Kings will play the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, while the Pelicans will take on the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
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