New Orleans Pelicans vs. Kings: Key Matchups in a Bench Game
By Tim Burke
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sacramento Kings: Previous Matchup
Previous Matchup
Just five days ago these teams played in the bubble, the less talked about this game the better.
Game 1 – 8/6/20, New Orleans 125 – Sacramento 140
What looked like a very winnable game before tip-off turned out to be a nightmare for New Orleans defensively. As a team, the Kings shot 48% from three-point range and that wasn’t even aided by Buddy Hield who played just 10 minutes and went 1-4 from deep.
Bojan Bogdanovic powered the Kings with a 35-point show that saw him scorch the net with 6-9 shooting from deep. He could get wide open shots whenever he wanted, as the Pelicans seemed to forget that he’s able to drain a ton of three’s with a man on him, let alone with no one in his face.
The New Orleans Pelicans were led by BI and Zion, who both had 24 points. The biggest problem was the shooting from the starting backcourt, combined Jrue and Lonzo scored just 26 points. This problem was really put on display in the de-facto elimination game against the Spurs as the pair had just 12 points on 4-22 shooting.
With Jrue sitting tonight, Lonzo will get the opportunity to fix his shot and start making field goals like he was in March before the season was paused.
Though the New Orleans Pelicans would certainly like to get some revenge for the embarrassing beating they took in the last game, winning this game isn’t the most important thing.
The Pelicans would like to get a look at their young guys in extended minutes, and most importantly, send Lonzo into the offseason on a high note.