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The Sacramento Kings will try to accomplish on Friday what they couldn’t do to the New Orleans Pelicans for the whole season. De’Aaron Fox and his teammates will fly to New Orleans to see if they can beat the Pelicans for the first time this season. The Kings are winless in five tries in the head-to-head showdown but can trump their nemesis by breaking through in their next encounter.
The Pelicans are desperate to stop the bleeding of back-to-back losses to the LA Lakers. From potentially clinching the No. 6 seed in the West, they are on the verge of a long vacation if they lose to the Kings. Piling on New Orleans’ misery is the absence of Zion Williamson, who has been ruled out due to a left hamstring injury.
The Kings drubbed the Golden State Warriors 118-94 to live and fight another day. Sacramento, which had the Dubs’ number in the regular season, sustained their dominance over the Warriors in the must-win game. They haven’t had that edge against the Pelicans but Williamson’s injury might be an opening they can maximize to punch a playoff ticket.
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Preview, prediction and betting tips
Smoothie King Center will host the must-win showdown between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. TNT will air the game on national TV but basketball fans can also stream the action by subscribing to the NBA League Pass.
Moneyline: Kings (-125) vs. Pelicans (+105)
Spread: Kings (-1.5) vs. Pelicans (+1.5)
Total (O/U): Kings (o210.0 -110) vs. Pelicans (u210.0 -110)
Editor’s Note: The odds could change closer to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of the writing.
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Game preview
The Sacramento Kings stopped their free fall, aided by their tiebreaker edge over the Golden State Warriors, to survive one play-in tournament game. They need to win one more against a team they had no success against during the entire season.
Sacramento’s stars and unsung heroes showed up in front of their fans. Many will be interested to see if they can bring the same intensity, focus and grit to New Orleans.
The New Orleans Pelicans still can’t shake off the curse of untimely injuries. Just when it looked like Zion Williamson was fulfilling the superstardom many predicted he would attain, another injury struck him. Who will step up in his absence will be the biggest question for the hosts leading into Friday’s game.
Brandon Ingram has played only one game back from a long injury layoff and looked rusty. CJ McCollum shot the ball like there was a lid on the rim versus the Lakers. It will be pure misery if they lose this game after dominating the Kings throughout the regular season.
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Starting lineups, subs and rotations
SG - Keon Ellis, SF - Harrison Barnes, SF - Keegan Murray, PF - Domantas Sabonis and PG - De’Aaron Fox will start for the Sacramento Kings.
Trey Lyles or Davion Mitchell could be the first off Mike Brown’s bench. They played their roles with aplomb in the must-win game versus the Warriors and will be called again to deliver the same type of performance.
SG - Trey Murphy III, SF - Brandon Ingram, SF - Herb Jones, C - Jonas Valanciunas and SG - CJ McCollum will likely open the game for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Pelicans coach Willie Green used a small frontline against the LA Lakers by primarily using Larry Nance Jr. at center. He might go to the same strategy so Valanciunas could be the first starter to get a breather.
Editor’s Note: These are predicted starting lineups, which could change depending on the availability of players uncertain to play.
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Betting tips
Trey Murphy III has a 16.5 over/under points prop versus the Kings. Before a rough night against the Lakers where he scored just 11 points, Murphy had been on a roll. He averaged 27.3 points before the stinker versus LA. Without Zion Williamson, his offense will be desperately needed. He could get over his points prop on Friday.
De’Aaron Fox, who has struggled all season long against the Pelicans, gets a 27.5 over/under points prop. “Swipa” is averaging 21.2 PPG versus New Orleans, a figure that could improve due to the gravity of the game.
Jose Alvarado, New Orleans’ pesky guard, has been a thorn in Fox’s side this season. Sacramento’s star might have a better game but fail to get past his points prop.
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Prediction
Even sans Zion Williamson, the Pelicans will not just roll over and quit. Willie Green will count on everybody healthy to play like their lives depended on it. The Kings will arguably have the advantage but the Pelicans are confident they can still beat them.
It will be an end-to-end, slam-bang battle before the Pelicans do just enough to withstand Williamson’s absence and enter the playoffs.
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