Domantas Sabonis propels Kings back to .500 with 111-109 win over Pelicans

Dec 12, 2024, 7:33 PM | Updated: 7:36 pm

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 12: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings drives against H...

Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings drives against Herbert Jones #2 and CJ McCollum #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on December 12, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

Optimism swirled around the Sacramento Kings after winning three of their last four games before they visited New Orleans to face the (5-20) Pelicans Thursday night.

No team this season has been more affected by injuries than the Pelicans, but there was still plenty of talent to be seen throughout their lineup.

The Kings started their recent typical five of De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. They were without Trey Lyles (calf), Devin Carter (shoulder), and two-way players Mason Jones and Isaiah Crawford.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans were missing Zion Williamson (hamstring), Brandon Ingram (ankle), Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Javonte Green (ankle), Jordan Hawkins (spine), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (illness), and Karlo Matkovic (back).

Kings at Pelicans Game Notes:

After scoring two points in the first three minutes, the Kings found some momentum in New Orleans. They found some pace — which is especially beneficial against the Pelicans, who are one of the worst defensive transition teams — and began to knock down shots within the flow of their offense. A quick 14-0 run left them looking at a 16-7 advantage in the opening frame.

Coming into the game with the second-worst offensive rating (106.2), which could be somewhat misleading due to their slew of injuries, the Kings managed to keep their offense struggling. Meanwhile, they were getting into the paint with ease, often ending to trips to the free throw line.

Yet, New Orleans managed to find some rhythm and keep the game competitive. It’s not that any modern NBA game is lost in the first twelve minutes anyway, but things were trending in a positive direction for the Kings.

By the end of the first, Sacramento held a narrow 28-26 advantage, succeeding with getting stops and scoring in transition. Domantas Sabonis had 12 points and eight rebounds at the end of one. New Orleans’ Trey Murphy has 16 points.

Domas drops the hammer 🔨

pic.twitter.com/PqTuoqyYL1

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 13, 2024

As Sacramento head coach Mike Brown recently pointed out, part of the complication with starting Malik Monk is the stretch at the end of the first and start of the second, where Fox is their only player on the floor who can create for themself. In New Orleans, their offense struggled during that time.

It was a slow-paced first half, where the Kings faced a 55-53 deficit, including 31 free throws between both sides. Sacramento was 15-for-17 from the charity stripe, while New Orleans was 11-for-14.

K. Murray had tallied three fouls by that mark while starting center Yves Missi led the way on the other end with three of his own.

Sabonis was rolling already by this point, with 20 points and 12 rebounds on 7/9 from the field at the midway point.

Yet, shooting only 4/17 from three, Sacramento’s offense had not taken off. Perhaps they were feeling the effect of a rare three consecutive off days. But it seemed like they had more untapped potential going into the second half.

Next thing anyone knew, DeRozan made four straight triples in the first four minutes of the third quarter. As someone who is known for his midrange nature, converting 14 points in four minutes excelled his team forward.

DeMar drains his fourth straight trey 😈

pic.twitter.com/wYWjMYqrT2

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 13, 2024

As Fox headed to the bench, the Monk-Sabonis pick-and-roll took over.

Alex Len earned the backup center minutes after Isaac Jones played that role in the first half, and the backup big man did his job in minimal minutes.

DeRozan continued rolling, but both teams’ offenses slowed down in the fourth quarter. With 4:20 left in the game, the Kings led 104-97.

The Pelicans continued to score at a better rate than they had throughout most of the 2024 season, leading to a narrow difference in the final minutes.

McCollum and Murray were finding ways to put the ball in the basket and keep their team competitive into the final stretch of action.

Facing a two-point game with less than a minute remaining, DeRozan missed a mid-range jumper that could have essentially put the game away. But, the defensive efforts from Murray and Monk secured their eventual 111-109 victory over the Pelicans.

Sacramento’s six-game losing streak against New Orleans was no longer, as they improved to .500 on the season Thursday night.

Kings at Pelicans Game Stats

Sacramento:

Field Goal Percentage: 37/93 (39.8%)
Three-Point Percentage: 10/33 (30.%)
Free-Throw Percentage: 27/29 (93.1%)
Offensive Rebounds: 18
DeMar DeRozan: 29 points, four rebounds, two assists on 8/18 FG, 3/3 3P, 10/11 FT
Domantas Sabonis: 32 points, 20 rebounds, three assists on 11/15 FG, 1/1 3P, 9/9 FT

New Orleans:

Field Goal Percentage: 39/83 (47.0%)
Three-Point Percentage: 14/37 (37.8%)
Free-Throw Percentage: 17/20 (85.0%)
Offensive Rebounds: 10
CJ McCollum: 36 points, three assists, three rebounds on 14/24 FG, 6/11 3P, 2/2 FT
Trey Murphy III: 21 points, four rebounds on 6/13 FG, 2/7 3P, 6/7 FT