New Orleans has struggled at the foul line for most of the first dozen games of the season, but when the Pelicans needed to make them Sunday, Steven Adams and Zion Williamson delivered. After a Sacramento surge cut the Kings’ fourth-quarter deficit to one, Adams went 4-for-4 and Williamson shot 2-for-2 in the final minutes, with Adams connecting on two with 17 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Sacramento intentionally fouled Adams with three-plus minutes to go, but the Hack-a-Kiwi strategy backfired when the center made a pair.
New Orleans did not reach the century mark in scoring in four of its first 11 games this season, but on Sunday, the Pelicans had already amassed 100 points early in the fourth quarter. New Orleans found every hole in Sacramento’s defense, breaking through for its first win since Jan. 2 and picking up a needed initial victory on a six-game Western Conference road trip.
The Pelicans got all the way to the basket early and often, whether the result was a Williamson dunk or an Eric Bledsoe driving layup.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Nickeil Alexander-Walker shook off a 0/3 start from the foul line to sink two with 5.6 seconds left, giving New Orleans an insurmountable edge. The Pelicans were up 67-58 at halftime and led by 19 in the first half, but had to hold off the Kings late.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Williamson’s 31 points approached his season high (32) and career high (35), but it may have been the best game efficiency-wise of his brief NBA career. The second-year forward made 13 of his first 14 shots from the field and finished a sparkling 13/15, as well as 5/5 at the foul line. Williamson put together a highlight reel in the first half alone by throwing down soaring dunks, including a sweeping left-hander and a two-hand slam in the middle of the paint.
BY THE NUMBERS
48-33: New Orleans rebounding advantage. The Pelicans have won this category on a regular basis this season, as arguably the league’s best team on the boards. Sacramento only had 10 rebounds in the first half.
2: Games this season in which New Orleans has shot over 50 percent from the field, including Dec. 23 at Toronto and this 52.9 percent showing in Sacramento.
27/34: Foul shooting by the Pelicans. Not only did the visitors come through in crunch time at the line, but they were very good for all 48 minutes, an area that’s been a weakness in 2020-21.
Revisiting three keys to victory
WIN THE BATTLE OF THE BIGS
Both teams received very strong performances from their starting frontcourts, with Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes making an impact in the paint for Sacramento. The edge went to New Orleans, though, based on the play of Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
ATTACK PERIMETER DEFENSIVE PRESSURE
Bledsoe drove repeatedly into the paint from the start, which helped New Orleans shoot 62 percent in the first half and score its most points in an opening half (67) this season. The Kings did bother the Pelicans a bit later with some token fullcourt pressure, resulting in a few late-clock possessions.
SHOOT WITH CONFIDENCE FROM THREE
A big plus in another area that’s been an early-season weakness. New Orleans shot 11/22 from the arc, going 5/11 in the first half and 6/11 after the break. It was the Pelicans’ first game at 50 percent from deep this season.
