Big 3rd quarter acts as difference in Kings’ win over Pelicans

Mar 6, 2023, 11:11 PM | Updated: Mar 7, 2023, 11:36 am

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 06: Kevin Huerter #9 high-fives Trey Lyles #41 of the Sacramento Kin...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

Each time the Sacramento Kings have faced adversity this season, they have answered the call.

Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans was a test for a couple of reasons, with the most notable being the absence of star guard De’Aaron Fox, who was sidelined due to left hamstring soreness.

Fox was absent during February 5th’s matchup against the Pelicans in New Orleans, a game in which the Kings suffered an embarrassing 136-104 defeat.

Would this rematch between the two Western Conference foes create deja vu?

On the heels of Saturday’s disappointing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento used a massive second half to get its revenge on New Orleans in the form of a 123-108 win in front of a sold-out Golden 1 Center.

With the win, the Kings (38-26) secured its 20th home win of the season while putting 7.5 games between themselves and the Pelicans in the Western Conference standings. Sacramento also inched closer to the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies, as they sit just a half-game back with 18 games remaining.

After allowing New Orleans to shoot 61% from the field during the first half, changes were needed from the Kings’ defense if they were to create some separation from the Pelicans.

The third quarter included a change in the team’s defensive plan of attack, as Sacramento moved into a zone defense–one that held New Orleans to seven-of-20 (35%) shooting during the period. Changing up the defense brought the Pelicans’ once fluid offense to a screeching half while the Kings made their move by outscoring New Orleans 38-20 in the quarter to take an 18-point lead into the fourth.

“We tried to mix things up,” Kings rookie Keegan Murray said of the switch to zone defense. “That led to us opening the game a little bit and kind of changed how they were playing their offense. It was a good call by the coaching staff and changed the game.”

Sacramento’s big third quarter would be the difference in this game, as the Kings were outscored by three points combined in the first, second, and fourth quarters. As we have learned, sometimes that’s all it takes to swing a game, and that’s what lifted the Kings to a comfortable win over a team sitting beneath them in the standings.

Defense is a key takeaway from this one, especially after Sacramento’s recent stretch in which they surrendered 128.5 points a night over a 12-game period. The 108 points that the Kings allowed on Monday was the team’s best defensive showing since they held the Indiana Pacers to 107 points on February 3rd.

DPOG Davion did his thing tonight 🔒 pic.twitter.com/djnTIz2tOO

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 7, 2023

“Good win for our guys tonight, especially after going down to New Orleans and getting beat the way we did,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of his team’s effort on Monday. “Our guys were communicating, they were into it, and they were able to create stops while playing zone.”

Davion Mitchell was given the Defensive Player of the Game chain after turning in a defensive rating of 97.1 during the second half. ‘Off Night’ finished the game with 15 points on six-of-eight shooting (three-of-four from beyond the arc) to go along with six assists and one steal over 32 minutes.

The Kings needed production of the second-year guard with Fox out of action, and Mitchell came through during the winning effort.

“I think we go in with the same approach every game,” Mitchell said of Sacramento’s effort without Fox. “We’re going to play hard, we’re going to go out there and give it our all. We went out there tonight and came out with the win.”

While Mitchell did a good job of setting up his teammates, Kevin Huerter took on Fox’s usual role of leading the team in scoring as ‘Red Velvet’ turned in his second-straight 25+ point performance. The first-year Kings guard finished the night with a game-high 25 points on six-of-10 shooting from three-point land, marking the first time in his NBA career that he has drilled 6+ three-point field goals in consecutive games.

Huerter scored 29 points on six-of-nine shooting from deep during Saturday’s loss to Minnesota, and the 24-year-old is now shooting 17-of-29 (58%) from three over the past four games.

Huerter is 6 of 8 from deep tonight ☔ pic.twitter.com/VR7IYh3a3T

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 7, 2023

“I think it’s rhythm, that’s a lot of it,” Huerter said of his recent hot streak. “Just in a good rhythm right now. Things were going bad, but you just have to stay in the gym, get reps in, and find something that works. Playing at home these last couple of games has helped.”

Huerter did a bit of everything, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out eight assists during a strong showing for the fifth-year veteran.

Speaking of doing everything, Domantas Sabonis continued to back up his ‘Mr. Double-Double’ nickname with his league-leading 52nd of the season, but that’s not all: Sabonis also picked up his eighth triple-double of the season, tying Maurice Stokes (1957-58) and Oscar Robertson (1967-68) for the eighth-most triple-doubles in a season in franchise history.

The three-time All-Star scored 19 points (eight-of-13 shooting), pulled down 11 boards, and passed out 11 of Sacramento’s season-high 39 assists in what was another incredible–yet effortless looking–performance from the 26-year-old.

With Huerter and Sabonis carrying the load on offense, the Kings got some help from its bench as Trey Lyles continued to prove why his $2.5 million contract is one of the best bargains in the NBA.

Lyles finished the night with 14 points (six-of-nine from the field), five rebounds, and four assists over just 17 minutes of action. The veteran forward has been logging minutes at the backup center position, something that he says he is comfortable with after logging minutes at the center spot during his previous stops in the NBA.

When asked about Sacramento’s current place in the standings, Lyles said that the team isn’t ready to coast to the finish line–they want more.

“It’s big, but we’re not satisfied,” Lyles said postgame. “We gotta go out and continue to play, whether we’re fifth seed, sixth seed, whatever. We have to go out and win games, and the rest will take care of itself.”

With just 18 games to go, the Kings are in a great position to control its own destiny and comfortably avoid the Play-In.

Not only can Sacramento avoid the headache of a single or double-elimination tournament, but they can also end a 16-year playoff drought in grand style by hosting a postseason series.

If the Kings can play around .500 basketball over the final weeks of the season, they have a good chance of holding off teams like Golden State, Dallas, Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Clippers–teams that are all five games or more behind Sacramento in the loss column.

The sprint for the NBA Playoffs is on, and the Sacramento Kings seem more than equipped for a thrilling run.

Notes

Harrison Barnes picked up his first technical foul in over 10 years, as the veteran forward was T’d up during the third quarter–the first time since his rookie season.

Harrison Barnes was given a technical foul after he disputed the no-call on this play pic.twitter.com/Pf2bxZAUOQ

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 7, 2023

Keegan Murray brushed off Saturday’s scoreless showing with a 13-point performance on Monday night.

Next Game

Sacramento’s four-game home stand will conclude on Thursday night when the Kings face the New York Knicks at Golden 1 Center in front of a national TV broadcast.

The Kings will be on TNT for the second time this season after the NBA chose to flex Thursday’s matchup to a national broadcast in light of Sacramento and New York’s recent impressive play.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Pelicans coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.