The 0-4 Sacramento Kings are in New Orleans tonight to play the 0-4 Pelicans. These are the last two winless teams in the Western Conference (the Nets are also 0-4) and considering Doug Christie’s seat feels a bit hotter today than it was a couple of weeks ago, the Kings, or at least Christie, really need this one.
Who: Sacramento Kings (0-4) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (0-4)
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
When: 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET
Watch: NBC Sports California / League Pass
An October must win sounds silly, and of course in some ways it is. That being said, the Kings are in the middle of a 4-game road trip that already featured a blowout loss to the Spurs. They play the Pelicans tonight, then the (currently 4-0!) Grizzlies in Memphis, and finally the Mavericks in Dallas before returning home for games against the Lakers, Spurs, Heat, and so on.
That’s my long way of saying the games don’t get any easier if they don’t win tonight. The Pelicans are not very good, but they are healthier than the Kings, playing at home, and similarly desperate for a win.
I don’t place Sacramento’s ineptitude solely on Christie, but he’s not helping. And you can only lose so many games in a row before a change is made. What’s that number for Christie? 0-7? 0-10? 0-15? There has to be a number, and this is the easiest game the Kings will play for quite a while. Godspeed to all involved.
Prediction: Kings 118, Pelicans 109.
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