The Sacramento Kings picked up a crucial 119-111 win Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, solidifying their position in the play-in race. Entering the matchup in 9th place, the Kings faced significant pressure to deliver, especially against the Pelicans—The bogeymen that haunted them all last season, winning all six, yes six prior meetings. The Pelicans sit at the bottom of the Western Conference in a season marked by extraordinary injuries, even for them, effectively having thrown in the towel by trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors for a first-round pick.
Adjusting to New Faces
It wasn’t exactly a flawless performance from the Kings, who are still integrating three new players acquired at the trade deadline—Zach LaVine, Jonas Valančiūnas, and Jake LaRavia. Sacramento turned the ball over 11 times, though it felt like more, but balanced it out with 28 assists.
LaVine stood out, scoring 23 points while going a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Valančiūnas made his presence felt defensively, contributing two key blocks in the fourth quarter while holding Zion Williamson in check. Offensively, Jonas had a quiet night with 5 points and 4 rebounds, but his impact went beyond the box score.
LaRavia struggled for the second straight game, finishing with 4 rebounds and zero points on 0-for-4 shooting in limited minutes. While his performances so far have been underwhelming, there’s hope he can evolve into the 3-and-D wing the Kings desperately need alongside Keegan Murray. At the very least, a breakthrough by LaRavia could push Trey Lyles—who’s having a rough season—out of the rotation. I think all the Kings fans who ‘ve been stressing over whether or not we can re-sign LaRavia in the offseason can take a beat.
Domas Steady Despite Foul Trouble
Domantas Sabonis started strong, taking advantage of favorable matchups in the post against rookie Yves Missi and Zion Williamson. However, foul trouble hampered his aggression on both ends of the floor. While Yves shows potential as a rim protector, his inexperience and slight frame were no match for Sabonis early on. Zion, on the other hand, remains a defensive liability—a factor the Kings capitalized on. Sabonis still finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover.
A Game of Runs
The game was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading scoring bursts throughout the night. Just when it seemed the Kings might pull away, the Pelicans would respond, often fueled by Zion’s sheer dominance. Despite his usual minutes limit, Zion was unstoppable, racking up 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists on an efficient 13-of-18 shooting in only 28 minutes.
Key to Sacramento’s victory was their three-point shooting. The Kings connected on 16-of-45 attempts from beyond the arc, aligning with interim coach Doug Christie’s philosophy of taking 40+ threes per game. This proved to be a significant edge, as the Pelicans managed only 8-of-32 from deep.
However, the Pelicans controlled the paint, outscoring the Kings 70-40 inside. Zion and Jose Alvarado consistently sliced through Sacramento’s defense, getting to the rim with relative ease. Alvarado, in particular, has a knack for playing well against the Kings, and tonight was no exception.
Looking Ahead
The Kings squeaked out the win by an 8-point margin, but it could’ve gone either way. It was a true team effort, with the bench shining—particularly Keon Ellis and Jonas Valančiūnas. Keon was phenomenal, dropping 27 points on an efficient 10-of-14 shooting. We absolutely need to find a way to get him more minutes, especially with the news of Markelle Fultz joining the roster.
Tomorrow, the Kings face the Pelicans again in New Orleans to close out the back-to-back. Zion is unlikely to play, as the Pelicans typically rest him on back to backs due to his perpetual bum unit. This provides a significant opportunity for the Kings to grab another win and continue chipping away at the play-in/playoff race.
Game Journal
First Quarter – Early Momentum and Highlight Plays
9:18 – Domantas Sabonis continues to show why he leads the league in double-doubles, scoring off a putback for his second bucket of the game.
8:33 – Malik Monk drains his first three-pointer of the night. Are we doing this!?!??
7:45 – Jose Alvarado blows by DeMar DeRozan on a dribble drive, setting up an easy Zion Williamson bucket. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that the starting group needs better defensive balance—Keon Ellis anyone?
6:01 – Highlight of the quarter! Keon Ellis pulls off what might be his first-ever reverse dunk after coming off a screen. Kings lead 16-13.
4:21 – DeRozan finds his rhythm, burying back-to-back threes to ignite a 12-0 Kings run. It’s now 25-13.
3:38 – Keon Ellis hits another three! He’s torching the Pelicans from deep.
3:15 – Make that back-to-back triples for Keon—this one from several feet beyond the arc. He’s absolutely locked in.
2:18 – Brilliant defensive possession from Trey Lyles and Jonas Valančiūnas leads to a fast break, but Monk gets robbed of an and-one finish.
1:30 – Zion barrels his way to the rim with a mix of strength and agility, effortlessly slicing through Trey and JV.
Second Quarter – A Rollercoaster Start
11:35 – Jose Alvarado trims the Kings’ lead to five with a smooth step-back three. Malik had solid defense, but it was just a better shot.
10:33 – Trey Lyles misses another wide-open three. At this point, it’s hard to see what he’s contributing if he’s not hitting shots.
9:36 – Alvarado is scorching—it’s his eighth point in less than three minutes this quarter.
9:12 – Trouble for the Kings. Sabonis picks up his third foul, and the Pelicans tie it up at 37. Things are starting to unravel.
7:29 – With Domas in foul trouble and Zion taking over, it feels like the Kings should shift to the two-big lineup with JV to solidify the paint. Zion is getting whatever he wants.
5:38 – Enter Keon Ellis! His 22 points cap off a 15-2 Kings run, giving Sacramento a 52-44 lead.
3:45 – Zach LaVine misses a mid-range jumper. Has he made an impact yet tonight?
0:58 – Malik Monk drives to the rim for a much-needed basket, giving the Kings a slim 61-59 edge.
0:02 – DeMar ends the half on a high note, drawing a foul from Zion and sinking free throws to push the Kings ahead 65-63.
Third Quarter – Squabble Up
11:08 – CJ McCollum slices through the defense for an impressive finish. If he catches fire, the Kings could be in real trouble.
4:11 – After some heated words between McCollum and Monk, Malik answers back with his second three-pointer of the game. That might be the spark he needed.
3:09 – Keon Ellis keeps delivering on defense, swiping the ball from Hawkins to help force a 24-second violation.
2:39 – The two-big lineup returns, and it pays off immediately as LaVine knocks down a three. The Kings extend the lead to 88-81 after an 8-0 run.
Fourth Quarter – Closing the Deal
11:04 – Trey Lyles misses yet another wide-open three, and this one wasn’t even close. His slump continues.
9:48 – Jonas Valančiūnas delivers defensively, stopping Zion at the rim for the second time in a row. The Kings are finally stringing together stops.
7:55 – Keon Ellis drains a crucial three to stretch the lead to seven, 102-95. He’s been the MVP tonight.
5:27 – Antonio Reeves, whoever he is, keeps knocking down open jump shots for the Pels.
4:37 – Zach LaVine hits a clutch pull-up three to increase the Kings’ advantage to 107-102.
1:45 – DeMar seals the deal with a jaw-dropping fadeaway jumper over Zion as the shot clock expires, putting the Kings up 11, 115-104.
0:00 – The Kings ultimately hung on for the dub, but the game was a wild ride from start to finish.
Why do we keep mentioning if it wasn’t pretty? We need to make up ground in the standings a wins a win!
Because a game recap should explain how the game went and not just the final score?
It wasn’t pretty, but Greg just explained that really well.
I’m usually not pretty.
Why bring Kyle Korver into this?
Pretty awesome!
(I can never be sure that Greg doesn’t draw my name for the TKH holiday gift exchange.)
Just think of the time you’d save on all that pesky writing though!
Why does it bother you/fans that what happened was pointed out.
This is what the terrible kings announcers do. Pointing out flaws is a part of analysis. The whole picture.
Mostly just long winded talk while the action continues .
Greg will probably get banned from the arena for such inflammatory comments.
Good win, even though it wasn’t pretty.
Appreciate the Game Journal. Good stuff!
Nice recap. Hoping this team is Reincarnated after the break.
Nove*
Nove is right!
A win, which they need to rack up in bunches in a tight Western Conference.
We often discuss Keegan’s lack of offense. Christie mentioned in the post-game presser that Keegan had an assignment tonight (stick with Murphy and CJ is my guess), and he did that well. Keegan was up for the challenge because that is what the team needed. It’s frustrating that Keegan doesn’t assert himself more offensively, but I am starting to get why as the season moves on. He has a skill set that is vitally important on this roster.
I also heard a perspective from Malik that they are winning games with new guys and no practice time, which he said is an accomplishment in itself. The Kings moved their highest usage player and often the engine of the offense, and now they are trying to incorporate another high usage guy in to a system while only having walkthroughs and watching film. It hasn’t been pretty, and hopefully it will turn around sooner than later.
Got to win the b2b tonight, especially with Zion probably sitting. The other teams around them have some tough matchups tonight (GSW vs. HOU, MIA vs. DAL, OKC vs. MIN), so they can leap frog Dallas, move a game closer to Minnesota, and create some separation from Golden State.
Totally agree! While John Madden was right about needing more points than the other team to win the game, Keegan has been “struggling” offensively but he just makes so many winning plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet. It’s not just about points. Like you said, this team just needs some time and practice to come together. All Star Break is coming at a perfect time. Hope we get this last win and go into the break with the momentum from a 4 game win streak. Think it’ll be a really important time for Coach to get a reset and some perspective on how he can improve as the leader of the team.
Speaking of the All-Star break, why can they not have the break be the weekend before the Super Bowl? Nothing else is really happening that weekend, and the Super Bowl coverage isn’t ramping up that weekend. The trade deadline could be that Thursday before the All-Star break as well.
The break comes with ~30 games left for each team, so incorporating new players is a challenging thing. Just a an idea (and like Rob says, I know nothing)
You may know nothing but this idea makes sense . It is in fact such a great idea that no chance Silver would consider it . With NFL adding games to the schedule the NBA may soon play All Star fiasco with 20 games left .
Yeah, think we are in a very “is the glass half full or half empty” (or as some might say a seeing the glass as not having enough water in it, as opposed to having more than an adequate amount of water) situation.
Half Full: We incorporated several new players who haven’t gotten to practice and have managed to win some important games and even gut out a few challenges. And Fultz adds even more depth to our roster.
Half Empty: We have beaten some dreadful teams, who in addition to poor W/L records have been missing a lot of key personnel. And most of them have been close.
I’m kind of just enjoying the ride. But I think the stretch from March 1 – March 19 will really show us where we are as a team.
Yes, I agree. I try looking at multiple views of a situation. I see the half-full and half-empty debate and can understand both sides. I just want to see the group grown and compete, whether they play good or bad teams.
100%. Part of why I don’t want to beat them up too much. Good teams win against the teams they should beat and they sometimes win ugly games.
I’m basically in a bit of wait and see mode (with some snarky comments) until mid-March. They get more practice during the ASB. They get an easy schedule to end the month and then March is make or break.
Ultimately, this team still needs to make moves to be a contender, which is all o care about. Don’t give a shit if they are middle of pack shit.
So, if I think this is the beginning of Monte taking over more and Levine/DDR etc will be moved and roster balanced then I see it as half full.
If it’s the Kangz just trying to squeak into the playoffs and entertain (and think they have what it takes) then it’s half empty. Useless.
Makes sense. My biggest issue is what are you getting for DDR and LaVine?
DDR is 36. A contender would certainly take him at his contract, but you are more likely getting a pick or young player and taking a step back to do so. However, as you said, roster balance could make this beneficial.
And LaVine is about to turn 30 and owed $47M and $49M the next two years. Take rumors with a grain of salt, but the Warriors weren’t willing to give up Podz for him and the Bucks were supposedly offering Middleton who is a shell of his former self. Hard to see us getting anything of value back.
Our best package is probably some combo of Monk, Keegan, Ellis, and picks. Or if Carter comes on strong next season when he is healthy with a full camp he could add some value. But what does all that get you? And adding it to an aging core does that put you into contention?
I hate that the Kings have stifled Keegan’s best quality- lights out shooting from 3 at times. Amd clutch.
Because they never got the wing defenders they need. IMO, it’s a bit of a waste of his talent and a 4th pick.
Balance the fucking roster so Keegs can be his efficient self.
Another perspective is that this is the challenge that Keegan needs to elevate his game. If he is to be compared to a Khris Middleton or Paul George, than his offense needs to become a steady part of his production, otherwise he is limited.
He has add bits and pieces to his repertoire on offense but done so in bits and pieces. He’ll either figure it out more quickly, slowly, or not at all.
Monk seemed really locked in on defense, loved to see it. He just turned 27, I believe he still has some room to grow and I would love to see it.
Using JV and Domas at the same time, I would love to see more driving by Monk and Ellis. That is prime offensive rebounding time and think chucking drives up with them in could lead to some solid outcomes.
Nothing to add about Ellis. He has proved himself well beyond a nice undrafted find. He hit a three leading to a timeout by the Pelicans, and I LOVED seeing the intensity.
Accidently posted this in the Markelle Fultz article, meant to post it here (sorry for the double comment):
Does anyone remember what the next standings tiebreaker is after head-to-head? Right now we’re 2-2 against Minnesota, 2-0 against Golden State and Phoenix, and 0-2 against the Clippers (playing two more). We’re already guaranteed the tiebreaker against Dallas since we only play them once more (though would be nice to go 3-0 and get the extra win).
I’ll put it here too!
Blame Klam for the double comment
Lol! Sorry!
So for Golden State, Phoenix, and the Clippers it looks like division record, and for Minnesota it’s conference record?
Yep. And LOL at GSW with a 1-10 Division record
I think a few practices during All-Star break will really help this team reduce turnovers, which should help them quite a bit
Nove nickname!
OT: when did Domas get that shiner? Whose elbow did his eye socket foul?
Remember him getting hit in the face (no foul call of course) against Dallas and he didn’t have the shiner in that game, I don’t think.
I honestly don’t understand the concept of improving at the trade deadline. IMO you will make a small improvement at best most times. You basically are taking over half a seasons worth of chemistry and then completely disrupting that and expecting your team to somehow get significantly better with a significant change in the roster. I’m way bigger on changing through the draft and free agency. You are practically admitting defeat if you make a trade at the deadline, saying that what you have is not good enough. Trades are really only good for contenders and even then I would only recommend adding a supporting role piece and not a star player. The Kings just seem to be flopping around aimlessly, McNair doesn’t inspire confidence in me. I don’t really see this team going much higher than the 7 or 8 seed, probably play-in. I wish they would just handle business in the off-season instead of this and properly balance roster.
The Fox situation became really bad in the locker, based on what I have heard. He was only really spoken to by teammates when they were on the court. A change needed to happen because the Kings wanted to stay competitive, and that situation was devolving at a rapid pace. I may not agree with the direction or the return on Fox, but I get why they moved such a major piece.
Who is telling you about the realities of the Kings locker room?
I heard it reported by local media guys, and I think the telecast mentioned a couple games ago that Monk hadn’t spoken with Fox since it all went down. The details weren’t fully laid out, so there might be some context needed.
We did see the issues on the court those 3 games or so once the news about them shopping him came out.
Might be some context and some facts needed.
Force fed to a fectless media by the only real game in town. The organization lords over the local media outlets here. When have you ever seen a local media cat truly criticize this organization, even during all the worst of times?
This is the one place where the national media has it over the local guys. They are not beholding to Vivek and Co., while the local guys are basically out of a job if they cross the dismissive little chap.
While I don’t think this deadline’s moves significantly elevated Sacramento’s ceiling, I think teams can (and regularly do) improve their team at the deadline. Last year’s Mavs are a great example of a team that was hanging around the bottom of the West playoff picture, made good deadline moves, and significantly improve and made a run to the Finals.
Seeing Keon freely scoring was refreshing. He was struggling with the previous roster and supposed system being used in the offense. He used to look lost in the offense, not knowing what to do or where to be. That is something that was speculated as an excuse for his lack of playing time.
Now that he is playing on a team without a system for offense or a pattern amongst the players on offense he is scoring.
The lack of practice, team synergy, and an understood system might be helping Keon?
He does not have to figure out where he fits or what his role is offensively because there is not an established offense or pattern. He can play more freely and find his own game instead of find his way in a system that typically did not facilitate him as a scoring guard.
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