The New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings do battle at the Golden 1 Center on Thursday night. Here’s a Kings vs. Pelicans prediction. This article will include a Kings vs. Pelicans pick.
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans have been in great shape as they’ve won six of their last 10 games overall, but they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting beaten by the Lakers in a 110-101 road defeat on Tuesday. Zion Williamson led the team with 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting; Trey Murphy III added 21 points with eight rebounds and four assists, while Saddiq Bey chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 42 percent from the field and eight of 29 from the 3-point line as they took the fight to the Lakers and led by eight points midway through the fourth quarter before they went ice-cold and got outscored by 24-7 in the final 7:02 to allow the Lakers off the hook in the end. Herbert Jones had a quiet game of just two points on one of seven shots from the field while no bench player scored more than six points.
Sacramento Kings Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings have been in terrible form, as they’ve lost 19 of their last 21 games overall and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting scorched by the Suns in a 114-103 home defeat on Tuesday. Maxime Raynaud led the team with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on 10 of 12 shooting; Precious Achiuwa added 18 points with nine rebounds; DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, while Russell Westbrook chipped in with 16 points and seven assists. As a team, the Kings shot 46 percent from the field and seven of 27 from the 3-point line as they leaked 37 points in the second quarter to fall behind by four points at halftime before they got smashed in the third quarter to trail by as many as 20 points.
Why the Sacramento Kings will win
- The Pelicans have lost each of their last 10 road games against Pacific Division opponents.
- The underdogs have won three of the Pelicans’ last four games at Golden 1 Center.
- The Kings have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games as underdogs against Southwest Division opponents following a loss.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four games against Pacific Division opponents following a loss.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win
- The Kings have lost each of their last 10 games following a home loss.
- The Pelicans have won five of their last six games against Western Conference opponents that held a losing record.
- The Pelicans have covered the spread in 10 of their last 11 games against the Kings.
- The Kings have failed to cover the spread in 12 of their last 13 Thursday home games.
Total Points: Facts
- Seven of the Kings’ last eight games as underdogs following a home loss have gone over the total points line.
- Each of the Pelicans’ last seven Thursday road games has gone OVER the total points line.
Sacramento Kings Player Facts
- Maxime Raynaud ranks 12th amongst qualified players for FG% (56.6%) this season.
- Nique Clifford is one of only 12 players in the league to have recorded 4+ steals in consecutive games this season.
New Orleans Pelicans Player Facts
- Zion Williamson ranks T1st in the league for points in the paint (728) this season.
- Herb Jones is one of only two players in the league to have recorded 8+ steals in a game this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Kings rank 30th in the league for point differential per game this season (-10.9).
- The Kings rank 30th in the league for opponent field goal percentage this season (49.6%).
- The Pelicans have recorded the largest comeback win from an HT deficit this season—trailing by 22 points vs. the Rockets on December 18.
- The Pelicans rank 1st for points in the paint (3268) this season.
Kings vs Pelicans Prediction
The Pelicans have ruled out Dejounte Murray, with Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson both questionable, while the Kings are still missing a bunch of players, with Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, De’Andre Hunter and Keegan Murray all ruled out. These two squads have already met this season, with the Pelicans smashing the Kings by 120-94 back on Feb 9 and I don’t see any reason why we won’t see a similar outcome in this one. The dark injury cloud hanging over the Pelicans makes things a bit tricky, but assuming that the Pelicans have most of their players, they should have no trouble running past this depleted Kings squad, who can’t wait for the season to end.