National Basketball Association
New Orleans 123, Sacramento 108
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Where: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, California
Officials:
#34 Kevin Cutler, #26 Pat Fraher, #36 David Jones
Attendance:
17086
By The Sports Xchange
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- For New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson, Sacramento was kind from the very beginning. For teammate Tim Frazier, perhaps Sleep Train Arena will provide a start.
Anderson scored 29 points in his final appearance in his old hometown arena, Frazier added 14 points and nine assists in his Pelicans debut, and New Orleans ran the Sacramento Kings off their home floor in a 123-108 win that was far more lopsided than the score indicates.
"From start to finish," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said, "I thought we played a really good game."
The Pelicans didn't meet much resistance. Anthony Davis compiled 27 points and 14 rebounds, and five New Orleans players scored in double digits. The Pelicans made 12 of 21 shots (57.1 percent) from 3-point range and 49 of 90 (54.4 percent) overall en route to reaching 100 points in the first minute of the final quarter.
Anderson sat the entire first quarter, then came off the bench to knock down eight of 11 shots for 21 of his team's 41 second-quarter points. His blazing effort actually proved cold compared with the rest of his teammates, all of whom combined to go 7-for-7 from the field as New Orleans (25-42) blew the game open.
It was his ninth contest in the arena where he starred as a high school senior at nearby Oak Ridge High School, and the third time he surpassed at least 20 points. He was a spectator when Sacramento enjoyed its greatest era in the early 2000s.
"It's the last time in this building, and that's kind of bittersweet for me," Anderson said. "This place has an amazing history, especially for a guy who grew up in Sacramento. It was great to be able to share this with friends and family. This is where basketball started for me."
Frazier, a second-year player out of Penn State, probably would like to say the same thing someday -- at least about his NBA career. Released by the Portland Trail Blazers, he signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans and didn't get to Sacramento until 11 a.m., coach Alvin Gentry said.
Frazier made six of 10 shots Wednesday night and did not turn over the ball.
"He didn't know a whole lot," Gentry said. "For the most part, he did it by feel."
The Kings, who have lost seven in a row at their soon-to-be-deserted home, seemed to do the same thing, playing without energy or passion almost from the start. Their home skid is the team's longest since an eight-game losing streak during the 2008-09 season.
That campaign began a streak of what now appears will be nine seasons without a playoff spot.
"We're there one game, and we're not there the next game," center DeMarcus Cousins said. "Same as it's been all season."
Kings guard Darren Collison scored 23 points, and Cousins added 20 points and 12 rebounds.
The second quarter magnified Sacramento's defensive problems. They Kings have given up at least 100 points in 23 of their past 24 games and at least 110 in 13 of those. They rank last in the NBA on defense, allowing 109.5 points per game. The 41 the Kings allowed in the second quarter tied their worst defensive quarter of the season.
That effort seemed all the more frustrating for coach George Karl because it came a night after a victory that completed a season sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in franchise history.
"We lacked that spirit that we had in our last game," he said.
Overall, New Orleans made 54.4 percent of its shots from the floor, including 12 of 21 from 3-point distance. The Pelicans tallied 26 assists as a team.
Jrue Holiday added 17 points, and Toney Douglas scored 11 for New Orleans.
Sacramento lost all four of its contests against New Orleans this season and six of its past seven overall. The Kings, who shot 46.7 percent from the floor Wednesday, are 6-18 since Feb. 1.
NOTES: Pelicans F Ryan Anderson averaged 13.3 points per game in 10 games in Sleep Train Arena, where he won a state championship as a high school player. ... NBA assists leader G Rajon Rondo (turf toe) missed his fourth game of the season but his second in 11 games since Feb. 26. Rondo (11.9 assists per game) has double-digit assists in eight of his past 11 games and in 44 of 57 contests since Nov. 7. ... G Darren Collison replaced Rondo and became the eighth Kings player to start at least 10 games this season. Twelve of the 14 players on coach George Karl's roster have started at least one contest. ... New Orleans has allowed more than 100 points in seven straight games and 14 of 15, while the Kings snapped a 22-game streak of allowing at least 100 in Tuesday's win at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Top Game Performances
New Orleans |
|
Sacramento |
Ryan Anderson 29 |
Scoring |
Darren Collison 23 |
Tim Frazier 9 |
Assists |
DeMarcus Cousins 5 |
Anthony Davis 14 |
Rebounds |
DeMarcus Cousins 12 |
Anthony Davis 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Darren Collison 4 |
Omer Asik 1 |
Steals |
DeMarcus Cousins 2 |
Anthony Davis 2 |
Blocks |
DeMarcus Cousins 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
New Orleans
|
123 |
54.4 |
12-21 |
13-16 |
26 |
42 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
Sacramento
|
108 |
46.7 |
9-18 |
15-17 |
23 |
39 |
2 |
7 |
11 |
Upcoming Games
-
Sacramento will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Kings have a W/L % of .407 after a win and .375 after a loss.
-
New Orleans will play their next game at home against Portland. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .360 after a win and .381 after a loss.