The New Orleans Pelicans found a way to beat the Sacramento Kings despite being without Tyreke Evans and Anthony Davis.
The New Orleans Pelicans jumped out to a big lead early against the Sacramento Kings, and they never looked back. Without Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans, this seemed to be the kind of game the Pelicans would lose. Demarcus Cousins has been crushing opponents throughout the month of January, and it was unclear how the Pelicans would mitigate his impact.
However, with strong performances from nearly the entire team on both sides of the ball, the Pelicans handled the visiting Kings fairly easily. Ryan Anderson tied his career-high scoring mark, and Bryce Dejean-Jones surprised many with his strong play in his first career start. Omer Asik held Cousins in check, and the Pelicans came out with a win.
Other observations:
- Without two of their best players, the rest of the roster showed up to play. The top six players in the rotation all played exceptionally well.
- Bryce Dejean-Jones showed the ability to make Alonzo Gee style effort plays on the defensive end and contribute on the offensive end. The Pelicans may very well offer him a contract.
- Omer Asik continued his steady improvement against the Kings. His improvement over the last couple of months has been astounding, and he should see increased minutes in nearly every game going forward.