Pelicans 129, Kings 93: Pelicans Pose a Problem

Fueled by the strength of six straight beams, the Kings landed in New Orleans for their first second night on a back to back. Tonight was the first of two consecutive matchups with the Pelicans and the Kings had the task of containing the explosive freight train that is Zion Williamson and his running mate, the human cellar spider, Brandon Ingram. Let’s see how they did:

Quick Stats

Outcome: Kings lose, 93-129

Sacramento Kings: 93 pts, 37.9% fg, 24.4% 3 pt, 66.7% ft, 27 ast, 36 reb, 13 to

New Orleans Pelicans: 129 pts, 54.3% fg, 42.9% 3 pt, 81.0% ft, 38 ast, 55 reb, 12 to

Well, the beam gets a night off. The Kings came out with some spunk, overcoming a 12-point deficit early on to finish the first quarter with a 2-point lead. But it didn’t take long for Zion Williamson to realize he is a freak of nature and he jump started the Pelicans’ run to victory in the second quarter. From there, things only got uglier. From every spot on the floor, including the free throw line, the Kings struggled to put the ball in the basket. And at the end of the day, it’s just really hard to win basketball games when you can’t do that.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good:

1. Another Shot Soon: The Kings looked like the Kings for the first 20 minutes before the fatigue set in and they turned into the Kangz. Before leaving the game at the half with a reported lower back injury, Keegan Murray showed some valuable defensive possessions on his tough defensive assignment of Brandon Ingram, both in transition and the half court set. Domantas Sabonis got out to another productive start, finishing the first quarter with 7 point and 6 rebounds. The Kings connected on 13 assists in the first half, as the ball moved around the offensive half well. Malik Monk showcased his creative spark off the bench, setting up plays for Sabonis and JaVale McGee. And then, simply put, everything fell apart, as the score clearly indicates. But there’s a silver lining in everything, right? Tonight’s is that the Kings will have another shot at redemption against this Pelicans team in just a few days. On fresher legs, the Kings will hopefully be able to do more of the few good things we saw tonight.

The Bad:

1. Cold Shooting: Beginning midway through the second quarter, it felt like the Kings would go for extremely long stretches without hitting a single field goal. Credit should be given to the Pelicans, who played active defense on the perimeter and collapsed well in the paint to plug up…