Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
New Orleans Pelicans vs Sacramento Kings: A tough game in Cali
The Sacramento Kings are hosting the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center on Thursday.
The Pelicans are under pressure to stay in the top 6
The New Orleans Pelicans are sixth in the Western Conference with a 47-32 record. After losing four straight games, the Pelicans won the last two games against the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pelicans are seventh in the league, shooting 37.8% from three-point territory, and ninth, shooting 48.6% from the field. Zion Williamson leads the team with 22.9 points per game, followed by Brandon Ingram with 20.9.
The Kings have split the last ten games
The Sacramento Kings are ninth in the Western Conference with a 45-34 record. They have lost three of the last four games and are coming off a 112-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings are ninth in the league, scoring 116.5 points per game, and are ranked fourth with 14.4 three-pointers made per game. De’Aaron Fox leads the team with 26.5 points per game, followed by Domantas Sabonis, who averages 19.4 points, 13.47 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game.
Betting Trends
New Orleans has covered the spread in four of the last five games against Sacramento. The Pelicans are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games and 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games against teams from the Western Conference. The Kings are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games overall and 0-7 ATS in the last 7 games against teams from the Southwest Division.
Prediction and Conclusion
This is a very important game for both teams. The Pelicans are in sixth place in the West, the last that leads straight to the playoffs, while the Kings are two games behind them in eighth place. Sacramento had a solid first half of the season, but they have not been on the same level recently. Losing three of the last four games is something they did not need this late in the season, and that has put them in a challenging situation. The Pelicans, on the other hand, managed to bounce back after a crisis they had. Playing without their second-best scorer, Brandon Ingram, limited their offensive options. However, the Pelicans have won the last four games against the Kings, and the last one was a 133-100 road win for the Pels in Sac-Town. This will be a much closer game, and we are going with the Pelicans to cover the +1.5-point spread.
