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CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson each scored 31 points to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 135-123 victory over the Sacramento Kings, securing a season sweep. The win boosts the Pelicans’ playoff positioning as they aim to avoid the play-in tournament.
CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson led the way with 31 points each as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 135-123 on Thursday night, completing a season sweep of their five games.
During the game, Williamson temporarily exited with a left wrist injury late in the second quarter, yet he returned to contribute 23 points in the latter half of the match. “Proving myself right,” he commented on his robust return. “Simple as that. And then, with my teammates and coaches just trusting me, that means a lot.”
McCollum matched his season-best performance by hitting nine 3-pointers on 12 attempts and contributed seven assists. His sharpshooting helped the Pelicans bolster their position to skip the play-in tournament, as they now hold the sixth seed in the Western Conference—the last slot for a direct playoff berth. “For us, it’s about continuing to win, continuing to give ourselves a chance to accomplish what we want, which is making the playoffs and then making a run in the playoffs,” McCollum stated.
Supporting the team’s efforts were Trey Murphy III with 27 points, and Jonas Valanciunas, who recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. With these performances, New Orleans set a franchise record with 27 road wins, matching the Celtics for the best in the NBA. They now lead the Phoenix Suns by one game for the sixth seed with only two games left in the season.
Coach Willie Green of the Pelicans expressed his pride in the team’s resilience, especially on the road: “It’s extremely difficult to win any game in the NBA, let alone go in someone else’s building and carve out a win,” he noted. “I don’t necessarily have the answers, to be honest with you, of how we’re doing it. But we are. We’re going to take those positives and keep trying to build on them. It’s good to know that we can go on the road and be together and win games at a high level.”
Despite De’Aaron Fox scoring 33 points and providing eight assists, the Kings lost their fourth game in the last five and missed their chance to escape the play-in tournament. They are now tied with the Lakers and Warriors for eighth place. “If we could’ve finished in sixth, I wanted that more than anything else,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “Or fifth. But at the end of the day, this is where we are, and let’s frickin’ go get it and let’s learn and grow from it and see what happens, at the end of the day. But I’m excited about any opportunity to play in the postseason.”
Additionally, for the Kings, Harrison Barnes added 22 points, and Domantas Sabonis notched his 75th double-double of the season, the most by any player in a season since Moses Malone in 1978-79.
The Pelicans initiated the game strongly with an 18-0 run and, despite a 15-point rally from the Kings, never trailed, leading 64-58 at halftime and shooting 57% from the field overall. They also made 22 out of 40 attempts from beyond the arc. “They hit us first,” Fox acknowledged. “I think they got into us. I think we got some good looks that didn’t go down, too. But I think they controlled the game from the start.”
The Kings shot 55% from the field and made 16 of 38 three-pointers. Notably absent for the Pelicans were forward Brandon Ingram, sidelined for the 11th game due to a knee injury, and forward Larry Nance Jr., who missed the game for personal reasons. Kings center JaVale McGee was also out due to illness.
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