Play-In Time: Pelicans vs Kings NBA Betting Lines

The NBA season will end Friday night for the loser between No. 9 seed Sacramento and No. 7 New Orleans when they face off in the final Western Conference tournament play-in game with the Pelicans as short home favorites on the NBA odds

2024 NBA Play-In Tournament Expert Analysis Sacramento vs New Orleans | MyBookie NBA

How to Bet Kings at Pelicans NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 9:30 PM ET
Where: Smoothie King Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Pelicans +1 (total 210.5)

Pelicans vs Kings Season Series

Because of one play-in tournament matchup, these teams played an unusual five times in the regular season and the Pelicans won them all. They last played April 11 in Sacramento and the Pels prevailed 135-123. CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson each scored 31 points; Williamson went to the locker room late in the second quarter with an apparent left wrist injury, but returned to score 23 points in the second half. More on him below. New Orleans led 64-58 at the half and never trailed in the game. The Pelicans shot 57% from the field and made 22 of 40 3-pointers. De’Aaron Fox had 33 points and eight assists in a losing effort.

Why Bet on Sacramento Kings?

The Kings were 2.5-point home underdogs vs. No. 10 seed Golden State on Tuesday but pulled off the impressive 118-94 upset – perhaps officially ending the Warriors’ dynasty as we know it. It was also the Kings’ largest victory over the Warriors since Feb. 21, 2006. The defeat kept Golden State out of the playoffs for the third time in the past five seasons, including two eliminations in the play-in tournament. The Warriors committed 16 turnovers and gave up 15 offensive rebounds and way too many open 3-pointers.

Kings Last 5

vs Warriors – W118-94

vs Trail Blazers – W121-82

@ Suns – L108-107

vs Pelicans – L135-123

vs Thunder – L112-105

Dubs star Klay Thompson was a brutal 0-for-10 from the field in perhaps his final game with the franchise ahead of NBA free agency. It was just the fifth time in Thompson’s career he failed to score. It was his second time under Kerr, but the other was when he was ejected 1:43 into a Nov. 23 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Thompson entered Tuesday’s play-in game coming off what he called the “best stretch of basketball of the year.” Through the last 4½ weeks of the regular season, Thompson was second on the team in scoring, averaging 21.2 points on 48.1% field goal shooting and 41.2% from 3. Kings fans chanted “SAC-RA-MENTO” and “Light the Beam” as Warriors fans scurried off to the exits when the lead swelled to 26 points in the final minutes.

Keegan Murray surprisingly led the Kings with 32 points to go with nine rebounds and two steals. Murray went 10 of 20 from the field and 8 of 13 from 3-point range. He scored 11 of the Kings’ first 15 points. “The lights were as bright as they could be and he stepped up and delivered,” Kings coach Mike Brown said.

All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox played 39 minutes in Tuesday’s win and had 24 points, six assist, four boards and two steals. All five Kings starters finished Tuesday’s win in double figures, with Fox being one of two (Murray) to score at least 20. Fox struggled with inefficiency against the Pels during the regular season, shooting 40.9% from the field and averaging 4.0 turnovers per game.

“We knew what was on the line,” Fox said of Tuesday’s win. “This was just another obstacle in our way. We have to get over this hump. Obviously losing to this team last year and obviously facing this team now, it’s like, of course we have to face this team.”

Domantas Sabonis had 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the win after also leading the NBA in double-doubles and triple-doubles in the regular season. Sabonis and the Kings are one step closer to a second straight playoff berth, as they took advantage of offensive rebounds and Warriors turnovers to keep their season alive. Sabonis only committed one turnover in his 37 minutes on the floor.

Keon Ellis, only starting due to season-ending injuries to Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk, had 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks and did a fine job of defending Steph Curry.

“Keon Ellis, the confidence he has, and the swag he brings to this team, for a young guy that was on a two-way contract in February, it’s unbelievable,” Brown said.

As noted above, Sacramento went 0-5 in the regular season against New Orleans and hasn’t gone winless in six or more games against the same opponent in a season since going 0-8 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983-84 regular season and playoffs.

Bet Sacramento to Win
Daily Line NBA Men

Play-In Tournament Vegas Picks NBA Odds Subject to Change	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
New Orleans	+1	-104	O 210.5
Sacramento	-1	-116	U 210.5
NBA First Half Lines \| 2nd Half NBA Lines

Why Bet on New Orleans Pelicans?

Not only did New Orleans lose at home to the Lakers on Tuesday, 110-106, to lose out on a chance for the West’s seventh seed but the Pelicans also lost star Zion Williamson to injury and he likely will be listed questionable for Friday. The Pelicans have now lost six straight home games.

Pelicans Last 5

vs Lakers – L124-108

vs Warriors – W114-109

@ Kings – W135-123

@ Trail Blazers – W110-100

@ Suns – W113-105

Williamson had 40 points and 11 rebounds, while the Pelicans’ other starters going a combined 13 of 41 from the floor. Shortly after tying the game at 95 on a driving layup with 3:19 to go, Williamson went to the locker room, throwing a towel to the floor in disgust as he walked into the tunnel with an apparent hamstring injury. After the game, Pelicans coach Willie Green said Williamson had “left leg soreness.” The good news is that Williamson was observed leaving the arena without a limp and without any visible wrap on his leg.

Williamson played in a career-high 71 games this season and was playing in his first non-regular-season game of his career Tuesday. He missed the Pelicans’ two play-in games in 2022 because of injury as well as their playoff series that year. He also sat out the team’s play-in game last season because of an injury. If he cannot play Friday, Trey Murphy (12 points in 31 minutes Tuesday) would move into the starting lineup.

Brandon Ingram was very quiet in Tuesday’s loss with just 11 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes. Ingram was noticeably absent during the fourth quarter, an indication that he is still bothered by a knee injury that cost him the final three weeks of the regular season. CJ McCollum also was quiet, finishing with a brutal nine points on 4-for-15 shooting. With Ingram still under a minutes restriction, the Pelicans could not afford a bad shooting night from McCollum. And McCollum entered the postseason on a high, scoring 25 points or more in seven straight games.

“I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be more efficient,” McCollum said. “If I play a better game tonight, we end up winning.”

The Pelicans could have tied or gone ahead in the final minute after Dyson Daniels forced LeBron James into a miss. But Anthony Davis rebounded the ball with 14.8 seconds remaining, got fouled and made a pair of free throws to extend Los Angeles’ lead to four. The Pelicans went 1-4 against the Lakers this season.

Regarding Friday vs. the Kings, the Pels were first team to go 5-0 vs. a single opponent in a season since the Heat against the Nets in 1995-96. They did win one game vs. the Kings without Williamson, 133-100 in January. The winner of this game earns a first-round series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bet New Orleans to Win
Daily Line NBA Men

Pelicans vs Kings Expert Prediction

Pelicans 112, Kings 109

NBA Championship Odds 2023/24

Boston Celtics +160
Denver Nuggets +300
Dallas Mavericks +1100
Los Angeles Clippers +1200
Oklahoma City Thunder +1200
Philadelphia 76ers +1400
Milwaukee Bucks +1400
Phoenix Suns +1800
Minnesota Timberwolves +1800
Los Angeles Lakers +2500
New York Knicks +3300
Miami Heat +5000
Cleveland Cavaliers +5000
Golden State Warriors +5000
Indiana Pacers +6000
Sacramento Kings +7000
New Orleans Pelicans +8000
Orlando Magic +15000
Chicago Bulls +150000

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2024 Pelicans vs Kings and NBA Latest Line, April 11th Edition

Two teams battling for playoff positioning in the Western Conference and trying to avoid the play-in tournament face off Thursday night as New Orleans visits Sacramento with the Kings as short favorites on the NBA odds in the second game of a national TV doubleheader

2024 NBA Expert Analysis New Orleans vs Sacramento | MyBookie Sportsbook NBA Week 25

How to Bet Pelicans at Kings NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 10 PM ET
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Kings -1.5 (total 220)

Pelicans vs Kings Season Series

These teams will play a rare five-game series this season because one was part of the In-Season Tournament. The Pelicans lead 4-0 but they haven’t played since Jan. 7 in Sacramento, a 133-100 Pels rout. CJ McCollum scored 30 points, making seven 3-pointers, and the New Orleans Pelicans led by as many as 50 points. Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans. Zion Williamson was out. Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, but star guard De’Aaron Fox scored just three points on 1-of-10 shooting. The Pelicans lead the all-time series 42-33 but are 15-21 as the road game.

Why Bet on New Orleans Pelicans?

New Orleans will play extra basketball next week most likely either as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs or as the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament. Depends what the Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, who currently sit seventh, do the rest of the way.

The Pelicans won their second game in a row Tuesday, 110-100 in Portland, which turned the ball over 22 times leading to 33 points for the Pelicans, while New Orleans only had nine miscues leading to 15 points for the Trail Blazers. The Pelicans outscored the Trail Blazers 19-4 in fast break points.

Zion Williamson was in question but played and had 22 points and seven rebounds. Zion scored 20-plus points for the 14th time in his last 16 games. This has been the healthiest season of Williamson’s career — he’s already suited up for 67 games, a personal best — and he’s finishing it with some strong play, averaging 25.6 points, 6.9 boards and 4.4 assists over the past 16 games while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor. Since March 1, Williamson is ranked 4th in field goal percentage in the NBA, shooting 57.9% from the field.

Trey Murphy had a game-high 31 points for New Orleans along with eight rebounds and three assists. Murphy was making his ninth straight starts but he had more than 16 points only once in the prior eight, a 21-point effort against the Suns on April 1. The forward has averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 boards, 2.9 assists, 2.8 threes and 1.3 steals during his stint in the starting five, but even if Brandon Ingram returns to the lineup Thursday from his knee injury, Murphy should still hang onto a significant workload in the Pelicans’ frontcourt.

Since March 1, Murphy is ranked 6th in three-point percentage (minimum eight attempts per game) in the league at 39.4%. Ingram has been out since March 21, after suffering a bone bruise in his left knee. He has progressed to on-court workouts and has begun taking contact again.

CJ McCollum added 29 points in the victory. He has scored at least 29 in four straight games and more than 20 in nine of the last 10. Over that stretch, the 32-year-old has averaged 26.7 points, 5.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds. This season, McCollum is ranked 1st in the league in three-point percentage at 41.7% (minimum eight attempts per game. He is also the only player in the NBA to average 18-plus points, 1.7 or less turnovers per game and shooting 41% or better from three-point range this season.

This season, the Pelicans have won the second-most road games in the NBA with 26. On the road, the Pelicans are ranked 2nd in three-point percentage (38.9%), 2nd in plus/minus (plus-5.2) and 3rd in field goal percentage (49.1%). It also ranks 2nd in net rating (5.3), ranked 4th in defensive rating (111.6) and 7th in offensive rating (116.9) in away games.

Why Bet on Sacramento Kings?

Sacramento currently sits eighth in the West but easily could get to No. 7 but probably not catch New Orleans for No. 6 to avoid the play-in tournament. The Kings have only one path to the No. 6 seed with three games to go. They have to go 3-0 in their remaining games against the Pelicans, Suns and Blazers, and the Pelicans have to go 0-3 against the Kings, Warriors and Lakers.

The Kings lost for the third time in four games Tuesday in their road finale, 112-105 at Oklahoma City. They shot 34.4% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point range against the Thunder while jacking up a franchise-record 58 3-point attempts.

Sacramento led 64-45 at halftime but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second half. He scored 17 points in the third quarter as the Thunder outscored the Kings 39-23 to get back into the game and eventually steal it. Sacramento coach Mike Brown said his team got away from what worked in the first half. He said the Kings stopped taking open shots and played too much individual ball.

“Tough game,” Brown said. “I thought in the first half, our ball movement was beautiful and I thought we got bored with it in the second half. We touched the paint and took some tough shots, got our shot blocked a couple of times, even off our offensive rebounds.” Brown thought the officials missed a traveling violation by Gilgeous-Alexander at a critical moment late in the game. Brown also noted that Gilgeous-Alexander went to the free-throw line 20 times.

De’Aaron Fox finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes and has scored at least 30 points in two of his last three games. In 22 games after the All-Star break, De’Aaron Fox is averaging 25.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game. During that time, Fox ranks 10th in scoring and tied for first in steals per game. Fox has scored 20+ points in 21 contests since the break, including 30+ points in five outings. Over his last 41 games, Fox is averaging the most steals per game (2.3) and ranks tied for second in deflections per game (3.8).

Fellow guard Keon Ellis had a career-high 26 points along with six rebounds and five assists. He has stepped up big in the injury absences of Malik Monk (knee) and Kevin Huerter (shoulder). Over his last 10 games, Ellis has averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals.

All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis had eight points and 13 rebounds to see his streak of 61 straight double-doubles end. That’s the seventh-longest streak of double-doubles in NBA history. Sabonis had just moved past Elvin Hayes’ stretch of 60 straight from Oct. 30, 1968, to Feb. 22, 1969, on Sunday in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. His streak was the longest since the NBA and ABA merged for the 1976-77 season. He broke Kevin Love’s mark of 53 straight since the merger last month. Wilt Chamberlain set the record with 227 straight double-doubles.

“I mean, it’s awesome,” said Sabonis, who is the first player since Kevin Garnett (2003-04: 71) during the with 70+ double-doubles in a season and the fifth player since the ABA-NBA merger. “You’re mentioned with some of the greats. At the end of the day, you’re just out there trying to play your game and go out there and win. That’s my job as a big man — to get rebounds and to finish.”

Since Dec. 1, Sabonis is averaging 19.8 points (59.8 FG%), 14.4 rebounds and 8.7 assists per outing. He leads the NBA in rebounds per game and total rebounds in that span. He is the only player since the 1975-76 season to average 19.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game on 60.0% shooting over a 50-game span.