Why the Kings’ latest game against the Pelicans had a strong feel of déjà vu

The Kings used a strong fourth-quarter rally to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 122-117 on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. Here are three takeaways from the game:

A case of déjà vu?

The Kings fell behind by 19 in the first half for the second consecutive game.

Once again, it didn’t matter because Sacramento found a way to rally late.

Behind a balanced effort, the Kings outscored the Pelicans 36-21 in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory.

“We brought more energy in the fourth quarter. They ran out of it,” Willie Cauley-Stein said in an on-court interview with NBC Sports California.

Buddy Hield was again the game’s top scorer with 28 points, the same total he had in Friday night’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Kings are the first NBA team to win two consecutive games after trailing by at least 19 points in each since the Indiana Pacers did it Jan. 11 and 13, 2010.

Cauley-Stein is big on the boards

Cauley-Stein was focused on the glass in the fourth quarter. The fourth-year center set personal bests for a quarter with seven defensive rebounds and nine total while finishing with a career-high 17 rebounds.

“He went and got rebounds out of his area,” coach Dave Joerger said. “That’s fantastic for us.”

Cauley-Stein said he knew he had a career high.

“I’m really cognitive of knowing my stuff,” he said. “I’ve got goals to reach. When (rebounds) keep coming your way, that’s your chance to stack them up.”

The center also scored 22 points in collecting his 11th double-double of the season.

Outside shooting favors Kings

Both teams weren’t shy about firing away from beyond the arc, but the Kings were much more effective.

Sacramento was solid again from downtown, shooting 14 of 31 for 45.2 percent. Hield hit six 3s for the second consecutive game. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Justin Jackson and Iman Shumpert each made two from outside.

The Pelicans couldn’t quite find the range, making just 6 of 26 (23.1 percent). Jrue Holiday, who led New Orleans with 27 points, was just 1 of 5 from deep.

The Kings have been among the best teams from outside this season. They were tied with the Golden State Warriors for second at 38.5 percent coming in. The San Antonio Spurs lead the NBA at 40.3 percent.

This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 6:33 PM.