The Sacramento Kings travel to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 30. This article previews the game and takes a look at the injuries on both squads.
The Sacramento Kings wrap up their six-game road trip tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams are facing a rash of injuries, but more on that later. Tonight is meeting number three of four on the season with the two squads splitting the first two match-ups.
Last time out, the Kings traveled to San Antonio for a battle against the Spurs. Despite a stellar performance from De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento fell 113-98 to the Spurs on Sunday evening. Below is a highlight video of that game.
Today, we examine the injuries playing a critical factor in the game and some final thoughts about the Jan. 30 contest between the Kings and the Pelicans.
Injuries
The Kings had two players already on the sidelines for the long-term before suffering a rash of injuries in recent days. Both Frank Mason III and Harry Giles remain out. Willie Cauley-Stein was ruled out against San Antonio and tonight with a bone bruise in his knee. Ruining a feature match up against Anthony Davis. If that was not bad enough, Skal Labissiere flared up his shoulder injury putting him back on the shelf, and both Garrett Temple and Malachi Richardson sprained their ankles missing Sunday’s game. Monitor the status of all the Kings before tipoff this evening because they could be extremely short-handed again.
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All the injuries go without mentioning Sacramento’s rest plan. You can read more about the idea here, but it may be off tonight with so many players injured.
The Pelicans may not have as many injuries, but Friday night they faced one of the worst injuries in basketball. Former King DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles finishing his season. It was a sad day around the league, and it is likely that Boogie never fully recovers from the injury.
New Orleans is also without Solomon Hill, Frank Jackson, and Tony Allen in this contest.
The injuries on both sides should play a significant factor as both teams will go with limited rotations and play essential players more minutes.
Final thoughts
The Kings face the Pelicans in their last January game. Sacramento fans will likely see former King Rajon Rondo running the point for New Orleans. The Pelicans figure to split the minutes between Jrue Holiday and Rondo at the one creating an interesting matchup against Fox and George Hill. It should be an exciting contest, so please tune in tonight.
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