The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Sacramento Kings 132-120 on Thursday night at Smoothie King Center, picking up their first win of the season behind a huge night from rookie guard Jeremiah Fears. Fears finished with 22 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in the Pelicans’ matchup with the winless Kings.
New Orleans outscored Sacramento 39-31 in the second quarter and 39-27 in the third to pull away after trailing by as many as six points in the first period. The Pelicans shot 60% from the field for the game, including 9-of-16 from Fears, while Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. tried to keep pace with 34 points and 14 assists in a losing effort.
Key Moments And How New Orleans Pulled Away
Sacramento controlled the opening quarter behind Acuff and Zach LaVine, taking a 30-24 lead into the second quarter. The Kings led by as many as eight points early, with 12 lead changes in the game overall, according to the official box score.
New Orleans flipped the game in the second quarter. Herbert Jones scored on a driving layup to tie it at 32-32, and the Pelicans kept building from there as Trendon Watford and Fears found their rhythm. New Orleans outscored Sacramento 78-58 across the middle two quarters to take control, building what became a 19-point lead at its largest, per the official data.
The Pelicans dominated the paint all night, outscoring the Kings 80-62 in the paint and posting 34 fast-break points compared to Sacramento’s 29. New Orleans turned Sacramento’s 25 turnovers into 40 points, a decisive edge in the game.
Top Performers From Both Teams
Fears led New Orleans across the board with 22 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Zion Williamson added 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, and Trey Murphy III scored 19 points. Herbert Jones finished with 16 points and a team-best plus-27 rating, while Karlo Matkovic chipped in 12 points off the bench.
For Sacramento, Darius Acuff Jr.’s 34 points and 14 assists led all scorers, and Domantas Sabonis grabbed 15 rebounds. Precious Achiuwa scored 24 points on 12-of-17 shooting, and De’Andre Hunter added 24 points as well. LaVine finished with 21 points but was minus-25 for the game, the worst mark on either roster.
What It Means
New Orleans improved to 1-4 and snapped an 0-4 start to the season, moving to fourth in the Southwest Standings, still four games behind Houston. Sacramento fell to 0-5, sitting last in the Pacific Standings at four games back of the Lakers. New Orleans also took a 1-0 lead in the season series between the two teams.
The Pelicans shot 60% from the field compared to Sacramento’s 52% and forced 25 turnovers that fueled the fast break. Sacramento has dropped all five games to open the season.
What’s Next
New Orleans will try to build on its first win of the season, while Sacramento searches for its first victory.
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