The New Orleans Pelicans played a very good game in front of their fans and defeated the Sacramento Kings by 108:95 after 48 minutes of play.
Now we officially have all NBA playoff matchups set. The last play-in game ended in favor of the New Orleans Pelicans, who secured a crucial victory, even though the start of the game against the Sacramento Kings looked quite poor.
The visitors had a strong start to the game. Defenses on both sides of the court were quite solid, and during those moments, the Sacramento Kings seemed to navigate better. However, their defense weakened already in the second quarter. They allowed the home team to score 32 points in the quarter, giving the New Orleans Pelicans a nine-point lead at halftime.
It’s hard to believe that that particular stretch would be the most crucial for the final result. From that moment on, the Sacramento Kings couldn’t mount a comeback. The team appeared lackluster, relying on numerous unreasonable three-point attempts. That strategy didn’t pay off, and the victory for the New Orleans Pelicans was never in doubt until the end of the game.
Brandon Ingram led the winning team with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Jonas Valanciunas also had an excellent game with 19 points and 12 rebounds. On the other side, De’Aaron Fox scored 35 points but attempted 16 three-pointers, only making four of them. Domantas Sabonis finished the game with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
With this win, the Sacramento Kings have set up a series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.