It will be a matchup between two of the league’s top scoring defenses when the New Orleans Pelicans (16-28) go head-to-head against the Sacramento Kings (20-25). The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28 and will air on FSN and CSA.
The Pelicans lost a tough one against the Rockets 112-111 on Monday. Jrue Holiday finished with 32 points to lead the team. The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a 112-97 loss to the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Willie Cauley-Stein recorded 12 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
Holiday has really been playing well as of late for the Pelicans, averaging 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers over the last five games. DeMarcus Cousins has also been on fire in the same span, averaging 36.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 block, and 0.6 three-pointers while leading the Kings.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pelicans won the first game 109-97. Eric Gordon was a top performer in the victory with 24 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block, and six three-pointers.
The Pelicans enter the game with records of 16-28 Straight Up (SU) and 19-25 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 11-18 SU and 14-15 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Pelicans come into the game with the league’s third-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 107.0 points per game on their own court. New Orleans has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .793.
On the other side, the Kings head into the game with records of 22-23 ATS and 20-25 SU. In Western Conference games, Sacramento has gone 10-18 SU and 13-15 ATS. They sport the third-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 106.4 points per game. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Kings, who are known for distributing the ball with 24.8 assists per game. The Kings have established a reputation of cleaning up the defensive glass with 34.9 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
New Orleans won the last meeting this season between these two teams, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. However, the Kings lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sac
Notes
New Orleans is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 5 games at home.
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games when playing Sacramento.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of New Orleans’s last 15 games when playing Sacramento.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New Orleans’s last 9 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
New Orleans is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
Sacramento is one of the top scoring teams, averaging 106.4 points per game (ranked third). New Orleans, on the other hand, gives up 105.1 points per game (ranked 26th).
Sacramento averages 106.3 points per road game, placing the team third-best in the NBA. New Orleans, on the other hand, allows 105.7 points per home game (ranked 28th).
Sacramento has a 9-3 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. New Orleans has yet to win a game in which it scores under 100 (0-20).
The Sacramento Kings have a poor 11-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are 16-8 when they hit the century mark.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 107.0 (ranked 28th), while the Kings rank 13th for their offensive rating of 103.4.
Sacramento has an average field goal percentage of 46.1% (ranked sixth). New Orleans is a losing 7-16 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans attempt 24.0 three point field goals per game and the Sacramento Kings attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, New Orleans has a subpar record of 8-14, while Sacramento is 5-7.
The New Orleans Pelicans, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.67, rank 10th in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings have a lower A/TO (1.55), ranking 16th.
The New Orleans Pelicans rebound 42.6 times per game and are ranked 22nd. Ranked sixth, the Sacramento Kings rebound 45.7 times per game.
The Sacramento Kings rank 10th in offensive rebounding, while the New Orleans Pelicans rank 13th in defensive rebounding.
Sacramento has forced an average turnover percentage of 14.6% this season. New Orleans has a losing 4-11 record when its TOV% is 14.6% or higher.
