NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The New Orleans Pelicans will overcome the absence of leading scorer Zion Williamson, preserve their season and avoid a historic blowout thanks to hustle play and production from up and down the lineup. was completed.
Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans clinched a spot in the NBA playoffs with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in Friday night’s play-in tournament elimination game. Obtained.
“We stayed together. We supported each other. “We played for each other,” Valanciunas said. “We all want to make the playoffs. And we accomplished that by playing good basketball, supporting each other, defense, offense, sharing the ball. Making the right plays.” It’s fun basketball.”
Williamson was sidelined Tuesday night with a left hamstring strain he suffered while reaching 40 points in a play-in loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Undaunted, New Orleans used a balanced approach to improve to 8-5 this season without Williamson. Six players scored 10 or more points, including reserves Larry Nance Jr. (13 points), Naji Marshall (11 points) and Jose Alvarado (10 points).
“We got 34 points off the bench. Great night for them, tough night for us,” Kings coach Mike Brown said.
Trey Murphy III, who started in Williamson’s absence, added 16 points for New Orleans, which begins its first-round playoff series against top-seeded Oklahoma City on Sunday.
“It feels good. “That was my first goal of the year,” Ingram said of clinching a playoff berth. “We had another chance today and we took it and everyone contributed.”
De’Aaron Fox had 35 points and Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 14 rebounds for the ninth-seeded Kings, who defeated 10th-seeded Golden State in the play-in opener and set up a matchup with New Orleans.
“We’ve been a little bit passive offensively,” Brown said, alluding to the 4-of-17 shooting of young starters Keegan Murray (4-of-12) and Keown Ellis (0-of-5). However, not everyone was positive about their play tonight.” ).
“You have to be able to get the ball in the paint,” Brown added. The team lost 58-44 inside, missing 7 of 22 free throws. “You’ve got to be able to finish, you’ve got to get to the free throw line and convert.”
The game was a test of the Pelicans’ ability to handle the pressure of a do-or-die game, having squandered their previous two chances to clinch a playoff berth at home.
New Orleans lost to the Lakers in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, missing out on a chance to earn the No. 6 seed, and lost again to the Lakers on Tuesday. They faced the Kings with a chance to become the first 49-win team (Phoenix in 1972) to miss the NBA playoffs in over 50 years.
Instead, New Orleans improved to 6-0 against Sacramento this season and is the first team to go 6-0 in a season (without a playoff series) against an opponent since Denver-Minnesota in 1994-95. They were the first team to achieve this goal.
“We deserved it. That’s how we felt going into this game,” Nance said. “We deserve to be in the playoffs. Winning 49 games is no coincidence.”
The Pelicans also extended their streak as a No. 7 seed without ever making the playoffs since the NBA adopted the play-in tournament in 2020. After losing in the play-in to the Lakers, the Pelicans entered the playoffs as the 8th seed.
The Pelicans had a bad start, committing six turnovers in the first quarter that led to 11 points for the Kings. Sacramento, which was without Malik Monk (right knee) and Kevin Huerter (left shoulder) from the starting lineup, scored 18 points in the first half and led 24-17 on Fox’s layup off a Herb Jones turnover. .
A reverse layup by CJ McCollum and a 3-point score by Murphy quickly closed the gap for the Pelicans, and New Orleans built a 13-point lead in the second quarter.
Marshall shocked the Pelicans with a three and steal from Murray, which he converted into a breakaway dunk. Murray lost the ball and fell, hurting his lower back. He went to the locker room immediately after, but returned in the second half.
A short hook shot by Valanciunas and a layup by Ingram gave the Pelicans a 53-40 lead late in the second half, but Fox’s three points cut the Kings to 54-45 by halftime.
However, the Pelicans held a lead of at least 10 points for much of the second half and even led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter.
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