Kings vs. Pelicans: Will CJ McCollum play? All-Star break, injury news, 3 things to watch
Some early season struggles have put the Kings in a perilous position as the All-Star break approaches, so they need every win they can get from here on out.
The Kings will try to win their third in a row when they open a two-game set against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center. The Kings and Pelicans will play again Thursday in the final game before the break.
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum is listed as questionable Wednesday due to personal reasons after missing Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. McCollum scored 31 points in a 123-118 loss to the Kings on Saturday in Sacramento, going 10 of 19 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3-point range.
The Kings (27-26) are coming off back-to-back wins over the Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks. They are ninth in the Western Conference with the same record as the No. 10 Golden State Warriors and a one-game lead over the No. 11 Phoenix Suns.
The Pelicans (12-41) are last in the West with the second-worst record in the NBA. They have lost nine in a row since McCollum poured in 45 points in an overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 20.
Here are three things to watch in Wednesday’s game.
Guarding Zion Williamson
The Kings had no answer for Zion Williamson in Saturday’s win over the Pelicans. The 6-foot-6, 284-pound forward put up a season-high 40 points, going 16 of 21 from the field and 8 of 11 at the free-throw line.
Williamson is averaging 23.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 53.6% from 3-point range. He has averaged 26.0 points on 68.6% shooting in nine career games against the Kings.
Get LaVine going
Zach LaVine has struggled to find a rhythm since coming to the Kings in the three-team trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Huerter to the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine averaged 24.0 points while shooting career highs of 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range in 42 games with the Bulls this season. In his first four games with the Kings, he averaged 18.5 points, shooting 42.2% from the field and 19.2% from beyond the arc.
Assists and turnovers
Fox manned the point guard position for almost eight seasons in Sacramento. The offense hasn’t looked the same without him, especially in terms of the team’s assist-to-turnover ratio.
On the season, the Kings rank 13th in the NBA in assists (26.6), fifth in turnovers (13.3) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.00). In their first five games without Fox, they rank 25th in assists (23.8), 29th in turnovers (16.2) and 29th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44).
The Kings committed 21 turnovers in Monday’s win over the Mavericks. They found a way to win despite being outscored 36-15 in points off turnovers.
Kings at Pelicans
When: 5 p.m.
Where: Smoothie King Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Kings -4.5
Over/under: 238.5
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Devin Carter (G League); Isaiah Crawford (G League).
Pelicans: QUESTIONABLE — CJ McCollum (personal). OUT — Brandon Boston (ankle); Herb Jones (shoulder); Dejounte Murray (Achilles); Kelly Olynyk (not with team).
