Kings Star Center Shines in 111-109 Win Over Pelicans

The Sacramento Kings escaped New Orleans with a close win over the Pelicans on Thursday.

Nov 11, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) smiles during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings lost all six meetings against the New Orleans Pelicans last season, including a loss in the play-in tournament to end their season. In their first meeting of the 2024-25 season, the Kings got back on track, beating the Pelicans on the road 111-109.

The Kings have already been on a hot streak since putting Malik Monk in the starting lineup, but have now won three consecutive games and four of their last five. The Kings scored just 111 after dropping 140+ in each of their last two wins, but they fought for a tough win over a New Orleans squad that always gives them trouble.

Sacramento's star center Domantas Sabonis was the hero of the night, dropping 32 points and 20 rebounds on 11-15 shooting from the field and 9-9 from the charity stripe. Sabonis joins superstar centers Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid as the only NBA centers to reach those numbers in a game since 2020.

Sabonis tonight:

32 PTS
21 REB
11-15 FG

Joins Jokic and Embiid as the only players to reach those numbers on 70+ FG% in the 2020s. pic.twitter.com/rGBNHQiU6u

— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 13, 2024

Sabonis was followed by DeMar DeRozan, who contributed 29 points, including 16 in the third quarter. Sacramento's star backcourt of De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk was fairly disappointing, scoring a combined 23 points on 9-31 shooting and 2-11 from deep, but the incredible performances from Sabonis and DeRozan made up for it.

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum did all he could to keep New Orleans close, scoring a game-high 36 points on 14-24 shooting from the field and 6-11 from deep.

The Kings desperately needed this win to get back to .500 on the season and stay in the playoff conversation. They now have a three-day rest before they return home to host the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

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