De’Aaron Fox and Brandon Ingram had been floated as potential trade candidates in several trade windows before both former lottery picks found new homes at February’s deadline. The pair’s former squads will collide in a back-to-back this week, with the second leg set for Thursday night in the Bayou.
The Kings’ dramatic season took one final turn with the exit of Fox, with Zach LaVine coming into town to effectively replace the rapid-paced point guard. With both head coach and point guard drama behind them, it’s time for the Kings to focus solely on a play-in battle in the relentless Western Conference.
For the Pelicans, Ingram’s trade ended what was ultimately a woefully underwhelming partnership between him and Zion Williamson. While it might be too late for New Orleans to return to the West this year, gaining some momentum would be beneficial for a team that has been stagnant for several years.
With a Western Conference clash on the schedule this Thursday down south, check out our Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans predictions, including our NBA expert picks, with tip set for February 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Matchup Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans Overview
Teams: Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Smoothie King Center
Win Probabilities
The New Orleans Pelicans are the prediction tip for the winner of the game between the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Projected Final Score
Our predicted final score for this NBA matchup is New Orleans Pelicans 90-111 Sacramento Kings.
Expert Prediction: Who Wins?
Post trade deadline, the outlook and goals for these two Western Conference foes are considerably different. It’s go time for the Sacramento Kings, who are a part of the wildly tight, competitive battle surrounding the conference’s play-in spots. After a star trade and a head coach firing, Sacramento can batten down the hatches and focus on the basketball of it all.
New Orleans, meanwhile, has long since accepted its fate, as injuries derailed its season before it could get going in earnest. Now, comfortably at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Pelicans should be aiming for a bottom four record in the league and a chance at the number one pick in June’s draft.
However, before that, the Pelicans had the opportunity to take the lead at their own conference.
Why the Sacramento Kings Can Cover
Before the trade deadline, the Sacramento Kings were forces to be reckoned with inside the two-point range. Not only did they have a dead-eye killer in Demar DeRozan, capable of finding any shot from the mid range, but center Domantas Sabonis can compile stats like few other players in the paint.
In that sense, it was a strength on strength type of build for the Kings at the deadline. In the high flying Zach LaVine, Sacramento added another scorer who can be a maestro from the mid range. And, in backup center Jonas Valanciunas, it effectively secured dominant rebounding and paint presence for a full 48 minutes.
The presence of Sabonis and Valanciunas, in particular, is a huge advantage in this matchup. New Orleans has a terrible defense, ranked 28th in defensive rating on the season and dead last over its last 10 games. It struggles particularly inside. Only the Chicago Bulls are allowing more than the Pelicans’ 53.4 paint points per game this year, as their inability to address their need at center has cost them repeatedly.
Though the Kings are just a touch above the league average in paint points scored per game, at 48.5, they’re primed to exploit this weakness. Sabonis can dominate even good rim protectors, such as Rudy Gobert, and he’ll have no trouble against rookie Yves Missi.
Making matters worse for the Pels, the Kings can also effectively turn their offense off. One of the few reliable outlets for offense the Pelicans have had is points off turnovers. New Orleans’ 16.4 fast-break points per game are a top-10 mark in the league, and at home, it averages an additional 1.5 points in transition.
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, the Kings take care of the ball brilliantly. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder allow fewer fast break points per game, with the Kings giving up an average of 12.4 per game. They’re in the bottom five in turnovers per game, too, giving up possessions just an average of 13.2 times per game.
Barring disaster, Sacramento should be able to comfortably cover here.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans Can Cover
Though the New Orleans Pelicans are overmatched and outmuscled in this matchup, they do have a route to covering against the Sacramento Kings. For all their faults, the Pelicans’ offense can flirt with good efficiency, while the Kings’ defense is committed to poor performance.
Over their last 10 games, the Pelicans are 16th in true shooting percentage and 19th in offensive rating. Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, and CJ McCollum have a trio of efficient scorers to turn to. In particular, Zion can score at an elite rate around the rim. Murphy and McCollum, meanwhile, offer shooting and three-level threats. Both of them are shooting a solid 38% from deep on the year and above 50% from two point range.
Both Williamson and the more perimeter focused Murphy and McCollum should have a positive variance in their performance on Thursday, as the Kings are around the bottom five in the league in effective field goal percentage allowed, at 54.8%.
Despite their challenging situation, the Pels’ chances of covering and maintaining a close game against the Kings hinge on the performance of at least two of Williamson, Murphy, and McCollum. Against Sacramento’s defense, that is a definite possibility.
How to Make Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans Picks
Ready to make picks on the Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans matchup on Thursday, February 13? Make sure to head over to Sportzino, where you can find every NBA game on the slate this weekend, and so much more!
