NBA: Kings pound Pelicans, seal Pacific Division title
FILe–Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings. Alika Jenner/Getty Images/AFP
Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double, Keegan Murray produced a barrage of 3-pointers and the visiting Sacramento Kings overcame a slow offensive start to rout the New Orleans Pelicans 121-103 on Tuesday night.
Sabonis finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and De’Aaron Fox added 23 points and nine assists as the Kings (48-31) won the Pacific Division for their first division title in 20 years.
Murray made 7 of 10 3-point attempts and Sacramento finished 17 of 42 (40.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Malik Monk scored 17 points off the bench, Harrison Barnes added 16 and Kevin Huerter had 11 for the Kings.
Brandon Ingram scored 22 points, but committed a career-high seven turnovers for the Pelicans (40-39), who lost for just the second time in nine games and missed an opportunity to clinch a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
With his second assist of the night at NOP at the 7:31 mark of Q1, Domantas Sabonis has passed Spud Webb (1991-92: 547) for the seventh-most assists in a single season in the Sacramento era.
Sabonis is now up to 548 assists this season. pic.twitter.com/OtxuhF74UY
— P – Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 5, 2023
Trey Murphy III scored 17, Jonas Valanciunas had 13, CJ McCollum and Dyson Daniels had 12 each and Herbert Jones 11 for New Orleans, which made just 7 of 20 3-point tries (35 percent).
Sacramento took control by scoring 40 points in the second quarter, but McCollum’s basket pulled New Orleans within 80-71 midway through the third quarter.
Murray made three consecutive 3-pointers and Sacramento opened a 96-80 lead at the end of the third quarter. He made 5 of 6 3-point tries and the Kings finished 6 of 9 in the period.
Barnes converted a three-point play to start the fourth-quarter scoring, and the Kings’ lead didn’t shrink below 14 points the rest of the way. Sacramento won the season series 2-1.
Ingram scored nine straight Pelicans points as the hosts took a 14-4 lead after four minutes. However, New Orleans scored just eight points in the next eight minutes.
Huerter and Sabonis each scored eight points and Monk beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer that gave the Kings a 25-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Fox scored 10 points and Monk and Barnes had nine each during the second quarter as Sacramento established a 65-54 halftime lead.
