Game ID: 22300500
New Orleans Pelicans @ Sacramento Kings
Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 6:00 PM ET
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAC 21 26 14 39 100NOP 33 39 31 30 133
NOP @ SAC ScoutingNOP @ SAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
SAC availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's rest
full strength
SAC availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's rest
full strength
SAC availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backNEW Duarte 12 to 21 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 2 since 1/02, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 2 since 1/02, out tonight
NEW Duarte 12 to 20 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 3 since 1/02, returns tonight: 12 min (70% of 17)
OUT Vezenkov missed 3 since 1/02, returns tonight: 21 min (169% of 12)
NEW Duarte 12 to 21 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 12 min since (70% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 21 min since (169% of 12)
NEW Duarte 12 to 19 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/10 · back-to-backBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 8 min since (48% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 21 min since (169% of 12)
NEW Duarte 12 to 18 min over the last 4
SAC availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 2 since 1/09, returns tonight: 8 min (70% of 12)
BACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 9 min since (50% of 17)
NEW Monk 26 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 9 min since (52% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 15 min since (119% of 12)
NOP availability going into 12/31 · 2 days' restOUT Hawkins missed 3 since 12/23, returns tonight: 8 min (48% of 17)
OUT Ryan missed 19 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 25 min since (125% of 20)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 20 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 24 min since (120% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 8 min since (48% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Murphy III missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 21 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 23 min since (113% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 17 min since (102% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Murphy III missed 3 since 12/31, returns tonight: 17 min (55% of 30)
OUT Ryan missed 22 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 23 min since (113% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 12 min since (74% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 23 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Murphy III back 1/05 after 3, 17 min since (55% of 30)
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 22 min since (109% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 11 min since (65% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/10 · 2 days' restOUT Ryan missed 24 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Murphy III back 1/05 after 3, 21 min since (68% of 30)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 14 min since (81% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Alvarado missed 2 since 1/07, returns tonight: 17 min (91% of 18)
OUT Ryan missed 25 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Murphy III back 1/05 after 3, 22 min since (72% of 30)
NOP availability going into 1/13 · back-to-backOUT Ryan missed 26 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Murphy III back 1/05 after 3, 23 min since (76% of 30)
BACK Alvarado back 1/12 after 2, 17 min since (91% of 18)
NOP availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 27 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Murphy III back 1/05 after 3, 23 min since (76% of 30)
BACK Alvarado back 1/12 after 2, 21 min since (118% of 18)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 25 and Sabonis at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Ellis (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; McCollum at 19 and Williamson at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to Sacramento's 116 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-10 a night and New Orleans plus-4. Call it Sacramento 116, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/31 @ MEM 123-92 — SAC notes
SAC won 123-92. SAC shot 51% (47 of 92) to MEM's 37%, 16 of 33 from three, and got to the line 17 times to MEM's 28. The glass went 59-34 for them. Monk led with 27 (10 of 13, 4 of 5 from three); Fox added 24, Sabonis 13. The hinge was Q3, 31-21: a lead of 12 became 22, and the lead reached 31. Fox was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/02 vs CHA 104-111 — SAC notes
SAC lost 104-111. SAC took 10 more shots (92 to 82), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to CHA's 51%, 14 of 36 from three. SAC turned it over 20 times to CHA's 14, and CHA turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 48-35 for them. Fox led with 30 (11 of 25, 3 of 10 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Sabonis added 23, Duarte 12. Q2 was theirs, 29-20, turning a 4-point deficit into a 5-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 91-75 against them. They led by as many as 10. Monk's -21 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 vs ORL 138-135 — SAC notes
SAC won 138-135 in 2 overtimes. SAC shot 49% (51 of 105) to ORL's 49%, 15 of 40 from three. The glass went 58-39 for them. Monk led with 37 (12 of 20, 7 of 13 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Murray added 28, Sabonis 22. The hinge was Q2, 40-25: SAC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 16. Monk was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
1/05 vs TOR 135-130 — SAC notes
SAC won 135-130. SAC shot 52% (52 of 100) to TOR's 54%, 21 of 38 from three, and got to the line 15 times to TOR's 27. Sabonis led with 24 (11 of 16); Fox added 24, Murray 18. The hinge was Q2, 41-30: a lead of 9 became 20, and the lead reached 23. Sabonis was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/07 vs NOP 100-133 — SAC notes
SAC lost 100-133. SAC took 9 more shots (91 to 82), but shot 42% to NOP's 61%, 15 of 45 from three. SAC turned it over 9 times to NOP's 16. The glass went 25-51 against them. Sabonis led with 17 (8 of 12); Huerter added 17, Ellis 13. Q4 was theirs, 39-30, the deficit cut from 42 to 33, but the other 3 periods went 103-61 against them. Sabonis's -32 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/09 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 132, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Cunningham at 20 and Bogdanović at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Stewart (6 straight), Bagley III (3 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sabonis at 20 and Fox at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 120 a night to Detroit's 132 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-7 a night and Detroit plus-1. Call it Sacramento 122, Detroit 119, Detroit keeping it close.
1/10 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 14 free throws a game; Rozier at 32 and Bridges at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ball (19 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sabonis at 25 and Fox at 20 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-3 a night and Charlotte minus-6 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 114 a night to Sacramento's 124. Call it Sacramento 117, Charlotte 116, Charlotte keeping it close.
1/12 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 42 percent and 28 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 26 and Harris at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Embiid (2 straight), Covington (4 straight), House Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 121, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Sabonis at 25 and Murray at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-4 a night and Philadelphia minus-11 and the arc, Sacramento at 40 percent from three to Philadelphia's 28. Call it Philadelphia 118, Sacramento 117, Sacramento keeping it close.
1/14 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 35 and Lillard at 23 a game. Without Crowder (30 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and Murray at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Milwaukee 121, Sacramento 117, Sacramento keeping it close.
12/31 vs LAL 129-109 — NOP notes
NOP won 129-109. NOP shot 52% (45 of 87) to LAL's 48%, 17 of 34 from three. The glass went 47-35 for them. Ingram led with 26 (10 of 18, 4 of 7 from three); Williamson added 26, McCollum 22. The hinge was Q1, 42-33: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Ingram was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/02 vs BKN 112-85 — NOP notes
NOP won 112-85. NOP shot 47% (41 of 88) to BKN's 36%, 16 of 39 from three, and went to the line 18 times to BKN's 8 — 14 points from the stripe to their 4. The glass went 53-43 for them. McCollum led with 16 (6 of 11, 4 of 8 from three); Jones added 14, Alvarado 13. The hinge was Q1, 32-18: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 32. Ingram was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/03 @ MIN 117-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 117-106. NOP shot 56% (45 of 81) to MIN's 45%, 12 of 26 from three, and got to the line 17 times to MIN's 27. The glass went 41-28 for them. Williamson led with 27 (11 of 15, 5 of 6 at the line); McCollum added 24, Ingram 19. The hinge was Q2, 32-22: a lead of 3 became 13, and the lead reached 24. Williamson was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/05 vs LAC 95-111 — NOP notes
NOP lost 95-111. NOP took 10 more shots (92 to 82), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 36% to LAC's 49%, 12 of 29 from three. NOP turned it over 9 times to LAC's 14. Valančiūnas led with 13 (6 of 12); Hawkins added 13, McCollum 12. Q4 was theirs, 27-19, the deficit cut from 24 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 92-68 against them. Nance Jr.'s -21 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/07 @ SAC 133-100 — NOP notes
NOP won 133-100. NOP shot 61% (50 of 82) to SAC's 42%, 19 of 35 from three. NOP turned it over 16 times to SAC's 9, and SAC turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-25 for them. McCollum led with 30 (11 of 16, 7 of 10 from three); Ingram added 15, Valančiūnas 15. The hinge was Q3, 31-14: a lead of 25 became 42, and the lead reached 50. Ingram was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
1/10 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Curry at 25 and Thompson at 17 a game. Without Green (13 straight), Payton II (3 straight). 2 days' rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 102, shooting 50 percent and 47 from three, 20 free throws a game; McCollum at 21 and Williamson at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 102 a night to Golden State's 124 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-11 a night and Golden State minus-0. Call it New Orleans 117, Golden State 114, Golden State keeping it close.
1/12 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 52 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murray at 25 and Jokić at 21 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 101, shooting 51 percent and 46 from three, 19 free throws a game; McCollum at 19 and Williamson at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Alvarado (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 46 percent from three to Denver's 36 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-9 a night and Denver minus-1. Call it Denver 115, New Orleans 114, New Orleans keeping it close.
1/13 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and Irving at 33 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Lively II (4 straight), Kleber (31 straight), Exum (5 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 46 from three, 19 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and McCollum at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-5 a night and Dallas minus-6 and the line, where Dallas takes 27 free throws a game to New Orleans's 19. Call it Dallas 118, New Orleans 113.
1/15 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Irving at 34 and Hardaway Jr. at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Dončić (2 straight), Lively II (5 straight), Exum (6 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 45 from three, 23 free throws a game; Williamson at 20 and McCollum at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-7 and the arc, New Orleans at 45 percent from three to Dallas's 39. Call it Dallas 117, New Orleans 116, New Orleans keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SACAL A. Len
AV A. Vezenkov
CD C. Duarte
CJ C. Jones
DF D. Fox
DM D. Mitchell
DS D. Sabonis
HB H. Barnes
JM J. McGee
KE K. Edwards
KE K. Ellis
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
MM M. Monk
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
EL E. Liddell
HJ H. Jones
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
SAC/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
CJ McCollum scores 30, Pelicans lead by 50 in 133-100 rout of Kings
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- — CJ McCollum scored 30 points, making seven 3-pointers, and the New Orleans Pelicans led by 50 points in a 133-100 rout of the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans, who have won six straight on the road and all four matchups this season against the Kings, including a quarterfinal victory in Sacramento in the In-Season Tournament. Brandon Ingram also scored 15 points.
“It was beautiful ... just wire to wire,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It was fun basketball to watch. They executed on both ends of the floor.”
Both teams, in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff picture, entered the game having won four of five. The Pelicans had won four straight before losing by 16 to the Clippers at home on Friday.
Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, but star guard De’Aaron Fox scored just three points on 1-of-10 shooting.
“Give New Orleans a lot of credit,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “They came in here and they just flat-out kicked our (butts), and did it for four quarters.”
Brown apologized to Kings fans who “spent their money coming to watch the game today.”
“For us to perform that way and the lack of fight to get back in the game, stay in the game … was nonexistent,” Brown said.
The Pelicans won comfortably even without Zion Williamson , who was out with a right quad contusion. Green said before the game that Williamson was “doing good,” but would not be available. Jose Alvarado (non-COVID illness) also missed the game for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans, up 12 after one quarter, pulled away with a 12-2 run to start the second. McCollum knocked down two 3-pointers in that stretch, giving New Orleans a 45-23 lead.
“Guys did a great job of moving the ball around, setting great screens for me, allowing me to maintain rhythm and balance and let me shoot the ball with confidence,” McCollum said.
Ingram, who had eight assists, credited McCollum for “getting to his spots.”
“We had some good IQ on the floor,” Ingram said. “Where he was hiding, we kept feeding him the basketball. He felt comfortable tonight and we just kept feeding him, so we always try to go to what’s hot.”
The visitors extended the lead to 27 at halftime, with Ingram scoring seven straight points, including a pull-up 3-pointer in transition that gave the Pelicans their 70th point of the half. New Orleans shot under 63% from the field in the first half while holding Sacramento to under 40%.
The lead went up to 40 late in the third quarter on a 27-12 start to the half for the Pelicans, with a 3-pointer by Naji Marshall giving them a 99-59 advantage. Trey Murphy's 3-pointer with 9:44 left in the fourth put New Orleans ahead 112-62.
“It’s a really good feeling when you’re able to beat a team on their home floor, and you hear their fans booing,” McCollum said.
Both teams rested their starters for most of the fourth quarter.
New Orleans dominated on the glass, outrebounding Sacramento 51-25. The Kings had just nine boards in the first half.
“It’s hard to beat a team four times, we understand that,” Green said. “There’s certain matchups in the NBA that are suited for certain teams. We seem to match up well with Sacramento. We play them again, so I’m sure when that time comes, they'll be ready.”
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Kings: Visit the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. ------