Highs and Lows: Sacramento Kings Solid In Win Against New Orleans

Feb 12, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Langston Galloway (10) and Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) and forward Matt Barnes (22) battle for the loose ball during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Langston Galloway (10) and Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) and forward Matt Barnes (22) battle for the loose ball during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings were efficient tonight as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans by a score of 105-99.

Listed down below are the highs and lows that happened in tonight’s game pertaining to the Kings.

HIGHS

Rebounding: The Sacramento Kings have not been a good rebounding team this season. On the other hand, the New Orleans Pelican have been. But in tonight’s contest, the teams reversed roles as the Kings outrebounded the Pelicans by a score of 46-36. Rebounding has been a struggle for the Kings this season, but it worked in their favor tonight.

Bench Play: The Kings’ bench remains to be an asset as the collective group was solid in all facets of the game tonight. For the night, the reserves for Sacramento recorded a total of 32 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. The bench for the Kings have been a significant factor to the team’s success, and they will have to remain that way in order for the Kings to make a legit playoff push.

Feb 12, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) scores against New Orleans Pelicans guard Langston Galloway (10) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) scores against New Orleans Pelicans guard Langston Galloway (10) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

1-2 Punch: The 1-2 punch of DeMarcus Cousins and Darren Collison helped lead the Kings to the victory tonight. For the game, the dynamic duo recorded a whopping 48 points, 20 rebounds, 15 assists, and 5 steals. With Rudy Gay out for the season, the Kings needed someone to step up as the team’s second scoring option, and Collision has done that while creating chemistry with the Kings’ best player in Boogie.

LOWS

Perimeter Defense: The Sacramento Kings struggled in defending the perimeter tonight. For the game, New Orleans recorded a success rate of 41.9 from beyond the arc. For the season, the Kings have not been a great team defending the three. As of now, the team is currently ranked 26th in the league in 3P% allowed (37.2%) and 2nd in the league in allowed three-point shots made per game (11.0).

Turnovers: Turnover were an issue for Sacramento tonight as they turned the ball over a whopping 19 times. Broken record: Turnovers have been a killer for the Sacramento Kings. The team remains to be careless with the ball, and as a result, they are ranked 21st in the league in turnovers per game (13.9).

All Day #23: The Kings had no answer for star big man Anthony Davis. For the night, Davis was one of the few good things that the Pelicans had as he scored 32 points and 10 rebounds. Without the help of Davis, the Kings might have blown the Pelicans out of the Golden 1 Center. But Davis helped his team remain competitive throughout the entire game.