On January 8, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Kings faced the Pelicans at home today. However, Zion, the Pelicans' core player, missed the game with a quadriceps injury. Without Zion, the Pelicans played well as they led the Kings by a huge margin, leading by as many as 50 points at their peak. In the end, the Pelicans easily defeated the Kings 133-100, completing the sweep of the Kings this season, beating the Kings four times, which can be described as the King's nemesis! You must know that the Kings are the nemesis of the Lakers, but the Lakers can win the Pelicans, and the Pelicans can beat the Kings to death.
Among them, McCollum of the Pelicans had a great performance, hitting seven three-pointers and finishing with 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists. In addition, Ingram also contributed 15 points, five rebounds and eight assists. They led the Pelicans to seven double-doubles, with Varland 15 points, Murphy 11, Dyson 14, Hawkins 12 and Marshall 11 points, and won the game with everyone's play.
The Kings' Fox didn't have a good time, hitting just one of 10 shots and finishing with just three points, four assists, four turnovers and three fouls.
It was his worst game of the season. Despite Sabonis Jr.'s 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, the Kings couldn't turn the game around. Among them, Duarte, who started the game, also scored only 1 point!
After the game, Kings head coach Mike Browne was interviewed. He is well aware that the defeat in this game is a huge blow to the team. Brown reluctantly said: "We were beaten to the point where we couldn't fight back. I have nothing to say. In today's game, we let down the fans who came from afar to support us. The players who stood out in the fourth quarter, they did well on both ends of the floor, especially on the offensive end. They just go the right way to the game, simple and effective. ”
The loss was undoubtedly a heavy blow for the Kings, who slipped to 21-14 and finished fifth in the West. To make matters worse, this is the fourth time the Kings have been beaten by the Pelicans this season. For the Kings, they will need to adjust their form as soon as possible in the upcoming games and regain their winning feeling.
This game also shows us that Yingge has made significant progress this season, and can sacrifice himself for the sake of victory, leading the team to victory against the Western powerhouse in Zion's absence. Therefore, he is very optimistic about leading the Pelicans to a better playoff spot.