The Western Conference play-in tournament concludes Friday night with a match-up between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings.
The Pelicans had the best record of any team in the play-in but faltered at home to the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night. The Sacramento Kings avenged their first-round loss from a season ago by taking down the Golden State Warriors at home, hoping that wasn’t the last time they light the beam this season.
Zion-less New Orleans Pelicans Hope to Hold
The New Orleans Pelicans entered the play-in tournament as the favorite to advance to face the Denver Nuggets. The Los Angeles Lakers’ road victory now puts them in a fight for their season Friday night. It’s a fight they’re going to have to go into without Zion Williamson.
The former No. One overall pick suffered a hamstring injury in the final minutes against Los Angeles and while his absence helped the Lakers come out on top, the more serious impact is going to be against the Sacramento Kings.
An MRI revealed that the Pelicans will be missing their dominant big man for at least the next two weeks. Should the team make it to that point in the year, he will be re-evaluated.
Sacramento Kings Try to Salvage Down Season
The Sacramento Kings find themselves in the play-in regrettably after a disappointing regular season. The team had made leaps and bounds in the 22-23 season and despite losing in the first round to the Warriors, there was great optimism in the California capital for this year.
Sacramento’s position in the play-in might not be their desired lot in the postseason but having downed the Warriors this time around in the first round of the play-in tournament, they have an opportunity to salvage a playoff berth.
The Kings’ performance in a dominant Western Conference has been overshadowed by newcomers at the top of the standings. On Friday night, they will have the West’s attention and hope to take advantage of a depleted New Orleans team playing without their number-one option, Zion Williamson.
Sacramento Kings Keys to the Game
The Sacramento Kings may be on the road but not having to deal with Zion Williamson is a huge advantage. The bulk of the offense will now have to go through Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Jonas Valanciunas. This group has typically been a good supporting cast but combined to go 9/34 from the field against the Lakers. If New Orleans has any hope for keeping their season alive, they will have to rise to the occasion.
Sacramento has a myriad of ways to win this contest. With injuries to Kyle Huerter and Malik Monk persisting, the bulk of the wing offense is going to come down to Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes. While Barnes will be preoccupied defensively, if the pair can outperform the young talented wings for the Pelicans, Sacramento has a great chance to emerge victorious.
New Orleans Pelicans Path to Victory
The clash of big men slants towards favoring Domantas Sabonis over Jonas Valanciunas, a crucial match-up for both sides. Valanciunas assumes a bigger scoring and rebounding role without Zion, and dealing with Sabonis is a tough chore even if he were healthy. It’s a big ask for Coach Willie Green, but Valanciunas’ ability to keep Sabonis off the boards might be the difference between victory and defeat.
Jose Alvarado’s pesky defense has the potential to slow down De’Aaron Fox and disrupt the Sacramento Kings offense. Fox led the Kings’ offense over the Warriors with 24 points and 6 assists, helping to set up Keegan Murray in favorable situations throughout the game.
If Alvarado can keep up with the fast, twitchy Sacramento guard, the Pelicans can better keep up on the other side of the court and allow CJ McCollum to orchestrate their offense.
Bayou Battle for Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City Thunder will await the victor of this game. The west’s top seed is going to have a lot to handle with either squad, should they win.
The Thunder are the youngest top seed in the modern playoff era (since 1984) so despite their regular season success, the playoffs bring a whole new environment. The youth of Oklahoma City makes this game a vital component of the Western Conference picture, ripe for both teams to strike.
The battle for the West’s final playoff spot portends to be a good one, regardless of the fact that Zion Williamson will be missing. The wounded Pelicans have a chance to preserve their season in the hope that their leader could return at some point.
The Sacramento Kings can turn around their 2023-24 season after a disappointing first act and even after holding the ninth seed in the west their path to the postseason is paved, running through the bayou.
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