The Sacramento Kings are making progress as the All-Star break looms.
The New Orleans Pelicans are in one their worst stretches of a very bad season.
The teams will meet for a second consecutive night in New Orleans on Thursday in their pre-break finale.
The Kings are making a modest move in the Western Conference standings after winning three straight — two of them against the Pelicans.
Sacramento prevailed 119-111 in New Orleans on Wednesday after posting a 123-118 home win against the Pelicans on Saturday. In between, the visiting Kings edged the Dallas Mavericks 129-128 in overtime on Monday.
Sacramento, which retooled its roster at the trade deadline last week, added another player postgame on Wednesday. The Kings signed free agent Markelle Fultz through the end of the season, adding to their depth at point guard after dealing De’Aaron Fox on Feb. 3.
The work-in-progress roster looked fine on Wednesday, when four Kings starters scored in double figures and Keon Ellis came off the bench to post a team-high 27 points.
“Keon has been doing this all year,” said Malik Monk, who contributed 17 points. “A lot of people are surprised, but I’m not. I see the work that he has been putting in.”
Newcomers Zach LaVine, Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia have not been able to put in a lot of work with their teammates in the few days since arriving, but that could ramp up after the All-Star break.
“When our organization goes out and gets more talent, that means everyone has to sacrifice,” interim head coach Doug Christie said, “and as we continue to go down this path, we know it’s always going to be about us and not individuals.”
DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points on Wednesday. LaVine, the key acquisition in the three-team trade that sent Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, had 23 points and seven assists. Mainstay Domantas Sabonis recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Sacramento will be seeking a four-game sweep of the season series on Thursday.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice in the NBA, let alone three or four times,” Monk said. “So we know we’re going to get their best shot (Thursday) and hopefully Zion (Williamson) doesn’t play (Thursday) and makes it a little easier for us.”
Williamson has played in just 18 of the Pelicans’ 54 games because of a hamstring injury and load management as he has worked his way back. He has not played in games on back-to-back days since October, though he has played the past four games in a row.
He looked in top form during both games against the Kings in the past week, putting up a season-high 40 points on Saturday and scoring a game-high 33 points on Tuesday.
The Pelicans have the worst record in the Western Conference, and they are have lost their past 10 games. Another defeat versus the Kings on Thursday would send them into the break with a skid that would match their longest of the season.
“There’s frustration,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said. “We’ve got competitors in our locker room. We all want to step on the floor and give ourselves a chance to win the game. We did (Wednesday), but some key concepts and some close plays are not allowing us to close these games out.”
Backup point guard Jose Alvarado had a significant impact on Wednesday, making just his 10th start of the season but his third straight. He scored 18 points and tied his season high with nine assists in 32 minutes.
“Putting him in the starting lineup definitely gives us more energy,” Williamson said. “He always has an impact on the game.”
–Field Level Media