Mike Brown Speaks on Pelicans Playing Without Zion Williamson

The Kings are preparing to face a Pelicans squad without their leading scorer.

Apr 2, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) looks to pass against the Sacramento Kings. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings ended the Golden State Warriors' season on Tuesday night on their way to advancing in the Play-In Tournament. Sacramento's impressive victory puts them one win away from their second consecutive playoff berth, as their season comes down to a win-or-go-home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, with the winner awarded the eighth seed.

New Orleans has taken down the Kings an absurd five times already this season, as Sacramento has not been able to find an answer for the talented Pelicans squad. For their sixth meeting, the Pelicans will be without star forward Zion Williamson after suffering an injury late in their loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

With their season on the line, Kings head coach Mike Brown spoke to the media on how he expects the Pelicans to play without Williamson, and how they are still dangerous with their leading scorer sidelined (via @SeanCunningham | X):

"They're still a really, really good team [without Williamson]." Brown continues, "At the end of the day, we're down two guys that score a lot for us. Just like we feel, they feel other guys have to step up... They probably start Trey Murphy, and when he started he's been a load because he's more aggressive. He's going to get more shots, CJ McCollum is going to get more shots. Both those guys have hurt us from the three-point line. [Brandon Ingram] is probably going to be a little more aggressive knowing that Zion is out... We're going to have to really come to the table knowing that they're still going to be aggressive."

The Kings have faced the Pelicans without Williamson once this season, where they suffered a 33-point defeat and McCollum took the load offensively with a game-high 30 points on 7-10 shooting from deep. Through three games against Sacramento, McCollum averaged 26.0 points and 6.0 assists, shooting 19-27 from beyond the arc.

McCollum has not been the only Pelican to feast against the Kings, as Ingram has also scored 30+ points twice against Sacramento this season. Long story short, the Kings know how dangerous the Pelicans are, with or without Williamson. While it helps Sacramento's case that he will be inactive, losing five straight against the Pelicans and then trying to figure all their mistakes out in one elimination game is challenging.

It will be interesting to see how the Kings respond after going winless against New Orleans in their regular season series, and if they can flip the script to secure their spot in the playoffs.

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