Anthony Davis (24.6 PPG) and DeMarcus Cousins (23.8 PPG) meet in a matchup of top scorers when the New Orleans Pelicans (37-34) play against the Sacramento Kings (26-45). The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 27 and will air on CSN-CA and FSN-NO.
The Pelicans lost a winnable game to the Rockets 95-93 on Wednesday. Davis played well in the loss for New Orleans, recording 24 points and 14 rebounds to earn his 38th double-double of the season. The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-99 win over the Suns on Wednesday. Cousins played well and claimed his 43rd double-double of the season, recording 24 points and 11 rebounds.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. New Orleans is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 27.4%. Meanwhile, the Kings rank fifth in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 76.1%.
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Kings had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 99-89 win. Cousins played a big role with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Pelicans enter the game with records of 37-34 Straight Up (SU) and 40-31 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 21-20 SU and 24-17 ATS versus the Western Conference. Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Pelicans, who have allowed only 6.6 three-pointers to opponents per game. The Pelicans are the third-best team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.1 blocks per game.
Across the court, Sacramento has a SU record of 26-45 and an ATS record of 28-41-2. In Western Conference games, Sacramento has gone 15-26 SU and 19-21-1 ATS. Sacramento is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, hitting .780 of their shots from the line.
Sacramento won the last meeting this season between these two teams, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. They are even bets ATS in their last 10 meetings as well. New Orleans has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10, while Sacramento accomplished this once.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO, ATS Winner – NO
Notes
New Orleans is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of New Orleans’s last 15 games at home.
New Orleans is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home.
New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of New Orleans’s last 12 games when playing Sacramento.
New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento.
New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento.
New Orleans is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
New Orleans is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
On average, Sacramento puts up 101.3 points per game (ranked 12th). New Orleans ranks 13th in points allowed per game with 98.9.
Sacramento puts up an average of 101.3 points per away game (ranked 10th). New Orleans ranks 15th in points allowed per home game with 98.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Sacramento Kings are a winning 15-6. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the New Orleans Pelicans have a poor record of 10-25.
The Sacramento Kings have an underachieving 11-39 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are 27-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 104.5 (ranked 24th), while the Kings rank 16th for their offensive rating of 101.9.
New Orleans has an average field goal percentage of 45.6%. Sacramento is an abysmal 3-34 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, New Orleans attempts 19.3 three pointers and Sacramento attempts 16.3 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Pelicans have a 4-5 record while the Kings have a losing 1-3 record.
New Orleans has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.70 this season (ranked ninth), while Sacramento ranks lower at 29th with an A/TO of 1.26.
The Pelicans rank 14th in rebounds per game with 43.7, while the Kings rank eighth with 44.5 per game.
New Orleans is ranked 17th in defensive rebounds, while Sacramento ranks 14th in offensive rebounds.
Sacramento has forced an average turnover rate of 12.5% this season. In games where their turnover rate is 12.5% or higher, New Orleans is an even 20-20.
