Kings vs. Pelicans gameday: Fox supercharges Sacramento offense, injuries, scouting report
The Kings will be seeking their seventh win in a row when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at Smoothie King Center.
The Kings will face the Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Dallas Mavericks 129-113 on Sunday. They will play the Pelicans again Wednesday before concluding their six-game road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in Minneapolis.
All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox was leading the NBA in scoring at 32.2 points per game over the weekend. He is now tied with Joel Embiid for the league lead at 31.9 ppg. All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis is second in the league in rebounding (12.9 rpg) and double-doubles (10).
The Kings (8-4) have not submitted an injury report for Monday’s game, but they will certainly be without center Alex Len, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a high ankle sprain. Kevin Huerter’s status is in doubt after he was ruled out of Sunday’s game with a sprained left index finger. Trey Lyles (calf) has yet to appear in a game this season, but on Friday he told The Sacramento Bee he expects to return during the current road trip.
The Pelicans (6-7) are missing CJ McCollum (lung), Trey Murphy III (knee) and Larry Nance Jr. (rib). New Orleans rested Zion Williamson in Saturday’s game against the Timberwolves, but he is expected to play in Monday’s game.
Scouting Sacramento
The Kings have been on a roll since suffering back-to-back road losses to the Houston Rockets while Fox was out with a sprained ankle. They have won their last six games by an average of 10.3 points, scoring 123.5 points per game during that span. The Kings are tied with the Boston Celtics for the longest winning streak in the NBA. They are averaging 128.8 points in four games since Fox returned to supercharge an offense that was 30th in the league in scoring in the five games he missed.
Fox scored 43 points in Friday’s in-season tournament win over the San Antonio Spurs. He had his fourth 30-point game of the season with a career-high-tying 3-pointers in Sunday’s win over the Mavericks. He is now shooting a career-best 41.7% from beyond the arc, leading Kings coach Mike Brown to begin lobbying for both Fox and Sabonis as MVP candidates.
Sabonis is averaging 19.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting 60.9% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.
The Kings are fourth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets and one game behind the conference-leading Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Scouting New Orleans
New Orleans is closing out a six-game homestand with a two-game set against Sacramento.
The Pelicans won back-to-back games against the Mavericks and Nuggets before suffering a 121-120 loss to the Timberwolves on Saturday. The Pelicans are ninth in the West, 2 ½ games behind the Kings.
Brandon Ingram is averaging 23.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists. Williamson is averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists. McCollum averaged 21.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists over the first six games, but he is out with a collapsed lung.
Status updates
▪ Keon Ellis has been ruled out for Monday’s game due to a left ankle sprain.
▪ Lyles is still out with a left calf strain.
▪ Huerter is questionable due to the sprained left index finger that caused him to miss Sunday’s game against the Mavericks.
▪ Sasha Vezenkov is questionable due to left thumb soreness.
Player of the Week
Fox was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 32.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists to help his team go 4-0. Sabonis was among other nominees for the award.
In and out
Huerter has been cleared to play in Monday’s game against the Pelicans. Vezenkov has been ruled out.
Jose Alvarado will make his season debut for the Pelicans after missing the first 13 games with a right ankle sprain.
Kings at Pelicans
When: 5 p.m.
Where: Smoothie King Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Kings -1.5
Over/under: 236.5
Injury report
Kings: QUESTIONABLE — Kevin Huerter (finger); Sasha Vezenkov (thumb). OUT — Keon Ellis (ankle); Jordan Ford (G League); Alex Len (ankle); Trey Lyles (calf).
Pelicans: QUESTIONABLE — Jose Alvarado (ankle); Matt Ryan (calf). OUT — E.J. Liddell (G League); CJ McCollum (lung); Trey Murphy III (knee); Larry Nance Jr. (rib); Dereon Seabron (G League).
Upcoming schedule
Nov. 20 at New Orleans Pelicans
Nov. 22 at New Orleans Pelicans
Nov. 24 at Minnesota Timberwolves
Nov. 28 vs. Golden State Warriors
Nov. 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
