DeMarcus Cousins (24.1 PPG) and Anthony Davis (24.6 PPG) battle it out in a matchup of top scorers when the Sacramento Kings (26-48) play against the New Orleans Pelicans (40-34). The game starts at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 3 and will air on FSN-NO and CSN-CA.
The Kings were beaten by the Rockets 115-111 on Wednesday. Cousins had a great game, recording his first triple-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 113-92 win over the Lakers on Wednesday. Davis led the game in scoring with 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
The Pelicans have won two out of three against the Kings this season, including a 102-88 victory in their last matchup. In the loss, Cousins had a double-double with 39 points and 20 rebounds.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Kings look to improve upon their records of 26-48 Straight Up (SU) and 29-43-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 15-29 SU and 20-23-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Kings are a phenomenal shooting team from the line with an NBA-best 1,659 free throws made (22.4 per game).
On the other side, the Pelicans head into the game with records of 43-31 ATS and 40-34 SU. New Orleans has a record of 24-20 SU and 27-17 ATS against the West. New Orleans is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, converting .368 of their shots from three-point range. New Orleans’s three-point defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents making only 6.5 shots from the three-point line per game. When it comes to defending the rim, the Pelicans are the best in the league with an average of 6.2 blocks per game.
New Orleans beat Sacramento in their most recent meeting this season, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. The teams also have an even record ATS in the last 10. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, New Orleans held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. Sacramento did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO, ATS Winner – NO
Notes
New Orleans ranks 16th in points per game with 99.5, while Sacramento ranks 29th in points allowed with an average of 105.0 given up.
Sacramento ranks 26th in points allowed per home game (102.4 PPG), while New Orleans ranks 21st in points per away game with 97.2.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Kings are 15-7 on the season. When the Pelicans score fewer than 100, they are a losing 10-25.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Kings are just 11-41 this season. New Orleans is a superb 30-9 when it hits the century mark.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 104.3 (ranked 23rd). The Kings rank 17th for their offensive rating of 101.8.
Sacramento averages 99.2 possessions per game, scoring 1.018 points on each possession. While New Orleans averages fewer possessions per game with 94.4, the team scores more points per possession with 1.054.
The Sacramento Kings average an effective field goal percentage of 48.5% this season. The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar record of 16-28 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.5% or greater.
Sacramento averages 16.3 three point attempts per game, and New Orleans attempts 19.2 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Kings have a losing 1-3 record while the Pelicans have a 4-5 record.
The Sacramento Kings rank 29th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.27. The New Orleans Pelicans have a higher A/TO (1.73), ranking eighth.
The Kings rank sixth in rebounds per game with 44.6, while the Pelicans rank 16th with 43.6 per game.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 10th in offensive rebounding, while the Sacramento Kings rank ninth in defensive rebounding.
New Orleans has forced an average turnover percentage of 12.6% this season. Sacramento has a losing 18-41 record when its TOV% is 12.6% or higher.
