October 30, 2026 at 5:33 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Pelicans Find Their First Win, Send Kings to 0-5

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New Orleans beat Sacramento 132-120 on the second night of a back-to-back, leaving the Kings as the league's last winless team of the pair.

Somebody had to leave New Orleans with a first win, and the Pelicans made sure it was them. They beat the Sacramento Kings 132-120 on Thursday night. That moves New Orleans to 1-3 and leaves Sacramento 0-5, with an early-season hole that is getting harder to talk around.

The Pelicans did it on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a loss to Denver on Wednesday. Center Yves Missi sat out that game, and his status had hung over this one as a worry. The tired-legs concern, defensive lapses included, never turned into a problem. Total points ran to 252, well past the 235.5 posted by oddsmakers. The 12-point margin was more than double the 5.5 the Pelicans were favored by.

Sacramento again leaned on rookie Darius Acuff Jr., around whom the Kings have built nearly the whole offense. That brings heavy usage and plenty of shots, and so far the shooting has not matched the volume. The Kings were also thin. Four key players were ruled out, among them forward Keegan Murray with left ankle capsulitis and Dylan Cardwell with a left calf strain. That left a young lead guard with little help around him.

The Kings arrived having lost to San Antonio by 27 and carrying the league's worst net rating through four games. This was billed as a must-win, and the roster is unsettled enough that Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis have been mentioned in possible trade talk. Another loss only adds to that. The Pelicans can take the win and a night's rest, while the Kings still have to find theirs.

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