Pelicans vs. Kings Recap: The good, the bad and the Lonzo Ball

Jacob Rude
·2 min read
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The New Orleans Pelicans snapped their five-game losing streak on Sunday with a 128-123 win on the road against the Kings.

New Orleans scored at least 30 points in all four quarters and won three of the four periods on the night. After a game of runs early in the first period, the Pelicans built up a 19-point lead in the second period.

Though the Kings never took back the lead, it was trimmed down to three points by the end of the third and hung around five points down the stretch, forcing the Pelicans to execute in the final minutes of the fourth.

Zion Williamson finished with 31 points on 13-of-15 shooting for New Orleans while Brandon Ingram had 22 points and Eric Bledsoe had 21.

De’Aaron Fox finished with a career-high 43 points while Marvin Bagley III had 26 for Sacramento.

The Good: Zion Williamson

For really the first time this season, Williamson looked like the player he was in his rookie season that had the Pelicans salivating. Albeit against the worst defense in the league, Williamson was dominant and explosive in ways he hasn't been this season. https://twitter.com/JacobRude/status/1350995337461305352 He attacked the Kings defense with intent and made them pay all night long. If Williamson is back in form and can bring this level of energy and efficiency each night, the Pelicans are in a good place moving forward. Honorable mentions: De'Aaron Fox, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Ingram, Pelicans' late-game free throw shooting

The Bad: The third quarter

The Pelicans have had a particularly bad quarter in recent weeks this season and on Sunday, that quarter was the third period. By New Orleans' standards, it wasn't an awful quarter as they were outscored 36-30 but it saw a double-digit lead trimmed down to three points. Avoiding the lulls will be the challenge for the Pelicans moving forward but the work done in the other three quarters on Sunday was enough to help them see their way to victory.

The Lonzo Ball: Remains out

Lonzo Ball missed his third-straight game on Sunday with bilateral knee tendinopathy.