The Sacramento Kings were no match for the New Orleans Pelicans back in the regular season, but are De’Aaron Fox and company due for a win this Saturday against the Pels? Or, will New Orleans’ dominance of the Kings continue?
Catch this game live on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 9:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Sacramento Kings (46-36, 22-19 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- De’Aaron Fox
- Keon Ellis
- Harrison Barnes
- Keegan Murray
- Domantas Sabonis
The Kings are on a high but they definitely know they are now out of the woods of the Play-in Tournament just yet. Nevertheless, they are feeling good after hammering down the final nail (?) on the coffin of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. Sacramento played hungry in its 118-94 thumping of the Warriors, and that manifested in the Kings being +18 in shot attempts, +7 in rebounds, and +5 in steals in the game. Keegan Murray was on fire against the Warriors, and the Kings will need him to maintain that kind of offensive production to take the eighth seed.
The Kings also made 18 triples in the face of Stephen Curry and company. At this point, everyone knows that the Kings are 0-5 straight up this season opposite the Pelicans, but New Orleans will not have Zion Williamson this Saturday. That is already a huge plus for the Kings, who have covered the spread in six of their last 10 games as the road team.
Home: New Orleans Pelicans (49-33, 21-19 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- CJ McCollum
- Brandon Ingram
- Trey Murphy III
- Herbert Jones
- Jonas Valanciunas
Major adjustments are in order for the Pelicans for this Sacramento game, with Williamson sidelined. Williamson was forced to exit late in last Wednesday’s meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Obviously, Williamson’s absence is a painful one for New Orleans, but it’s not like the Pelicans begin and end with him.
They still have CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram and solid supporting players in Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones. McCollum averaged 26.0 points on 60.4 FG% in three games versus the Kings in the regular season, while Ingram put up 24.8 points on 55.6 FG% in four meetings with Sacramento. Playing at home for this must-win game should make things easier for New Orleans. The Pelicans are 4-1 straight up and 4-1 against the spread in their last five home games versus the Kings, dating back to 2022.
Picks
Spread: Sacramento Kings (-1.5)
Over/Under: Over (212.5)
