NBA

Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans

· National Basketball Association
13-13, 7-6 Away
Final
111 - 109

5-21, 4-9 Home

Sabonis has season-high 32 points and 20 rebounds to lead Kings to a 111-109 win over Pelicans

Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Game Highlights

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, while De'Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray each added 18 points for the Kings, who have won three straight and four of five.

CJ McCollum hit a season-high six 3-pointers and scored 36 points for New Orleans. His three-point play on a floater off the glass as he was falling down after being fouled by Fox made it 111-109 with 1:20 left.

The Pelicans then got two straight defensive stops, giving them a chance to shoot for a tie or victory in the final seconds. But Malik Monk took the ball from Dejounte Murray in what was technically scored as a block and Sabonis grabbed the loose ball for his final rebound to seal the result.

Trey Murphy III scored 21 points for New Orleans, but just five after the first quarter. Murray finished with 20 points for the Pelicans, who've lost 21 of their last 24 games.

Takeaway Kings: Sacramento had not scored fewer than 115 points in any of its previous eight victories. Their 111 points tied their season low in a victory, which they've now done three times.

Pelicans: Yves Missi grabbed 11 rebounds, but the 6-foot-11 center's playing time was limited by foul trouble and Sabonis took advantage on both ends of the court. New Orleans committed 22 fouls, three more than Sacramento. The Pelicans also committed 17 turnovers.

Key moment Murray hit a 26-footer and followed that shortly after with a driving baseline floater that made it 111-106 with 1:41 to go.

Key stats Sacramento converted 18 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points and outscored New Orleans 27-17 on free throws.

Up next The Kings host Denver on Monday night. The Pelicans visit Indiana on Sunday afternoon.

Regular Season Series

SAC leads series 1-0

Matchup Prediction

Pelicans: 36.6%
Kings: 63.4%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 111 - 109
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 111 - 109
4th 1.0 Kevin Huerter enters the game for Keegan Murray 111 - 109
4th 1.0 Jamal Cain enters the game for CJ McCollum 111 - 109
4th 1.0 Kings Full timeout 111 - 109

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/sac.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSAC https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/no.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNO
37-92 FG 39-83
40.2 Field Goal % 47.0
10-33 3PT 14-37
30.3 Three Point % 37.8
27-29 FT 17-20
93.1 Free Throw % 85.0
50 Rebounds 43
17 Offensive Rebounds 10
33 Defensive Rebounds 33
24 Assists 22
12 Steals 6
2 Blocks 4
11 Turnovers 17
0 Team Turnovers 0
11 Total Turnovers 17
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
14 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 17
10 Fast Break Points 3
48 Points in Paint 42
19 Fouls 22
14 Largest Lead 6

Game Information

Smoothie King Center

Location: New Orleans, LA
Attendance: 15,488 · Capacity:

2024-25 Pacific Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
LA Clippers 17 13 .567 - W1
LA Lakers 16 13 .552 0.5 L1
Golden State 15 13 .536 1 L1
Phoenix 14 14 .500 2 L3
Sacramento 13 17 .433 4 L4

2024-25 Southwest Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Houston 20 9 .690 - W3
Memphis 20 10 .667 0.5 L1
Dallas 19 10 .655 1 W2
San Antonio 15 14 .517 5 L1
New Orleans 5 25 .167 15.5 L7
Full Standings

NBA News

Fantasy basketball trade targets: Who to trade, acquire heading into 2025

Fantasy basketball trade targets: Who to trade, acquire heading into 2025

The fantasy crew comes together and details the players that managers should be trading away and trading for at this stage of the NBA season.

Warriors' Kuminga responds to Kerr criticism by starring off bench

Warriors' Kuminga responds to Kerr criticism by starring off bench

After Warriors coach Steve Kerr delivered his most pointed criticism about Jonathan Kuminga's decision-making and shot selection of late, the fourth-year forward responded with one of his best and most aggressive games of the season Monday night.

New York hosts San Antonio on Christmas day

New York hosts San Antonio on Christmas day

San Antonio Spurs (15-14, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. New York Knicks (19-10, third in the Eastern Conference)

Mavericks play the Timberwolves on Christmas day

Mavericks play the Timberwolves on Christmas day

Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (19-10, fourth in the Western Conference)

Phoenix hosts Denver on Christmas day

Phoenix hosts Denver on Christmas day

Denver Nuggets (16-11, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (14-14, 11th in the Western Conference)