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Sacramento Kings: 3 Things To Watch For Against The Pelicans

By Rafe Wong

SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 8: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans faces off against Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings on November 8, 2016 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 8: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans faces off against Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings on November 8, 2016 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings will play their second game of the 2018-2019 season against the New Orleans Pelicans. Check this article out to see what the fans of the purple and white should focus on for this game.

After leaving their season opener with a loss, the Sacramento Kings are looking to get on the win column tonight as they face off against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are coming off an impressive win against the Houston Rockets in their opener and are looking to build on that with the Kings in their building.

This should be a good game to watch for all NBA fans, but honestly, Kings fans are going to be the most excited. With that said, here are three things that the Kings community should look out for when watching their team play tonight.

Focus on Willie Against The Brow

In the opener, Willie Cauley-Stein was one of the better players for the Kings. For the game, he recorded 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while having All-Pro defender Rudy Gobert guarding him all night.

The competition will not get any easier for Willie as he will go up against Anthony Davis tonight. Not only is Davis a great defender in the paint but also an offensive asset as well. He played a huge part in the Pelicans’ opening win as he recorded 32 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists.

Expect the battle between the former Kentucky bigs to be the matchup of the night. Whoever is able to win it will give their team the edge throughout the game.

Focus on Bagley’s Minutes

Marvin Bagley III was a headline during the Kings’ season opener, but it was not for his play on the court. Instead, Bagley was mentioned due to the lack of playing time he received in his debut which was only 12 minutes. For the game, he recorded six points and five rebounds.

For obvious reasons, Bagley was not the happiest camper after the game based on his postgame interview. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Dave Joerger gives him tonight. In my opinion, there were some defensive issues with Bagley, but overall, I thought he played well enough to get more than 12 minutes of action.

Hot. 3 Takeaways From The Season Opener. light

Focus on the Starting Lineup

The Kings’ starting lineup played awesome against the Utah Jazz. The group that contained De’Aaron Fox, Yogi Ferrell, Buddy Hield, Nemanja Bjelica, and Willie Cauley-Stein all had a positive +/- and combined for 93 points, 26 rebounds, and 15 assists.

One would think that Joerger would start the same lineup again for tonight’s game, but nothing has been concrete yet. And if the same five did start tonight, will they be just as effective? Hopefully, for the Kings and their fans, they will be. The only reason why the Kings were competitive against the Jazz in their opener was that of the fabulous play of their starting five.

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