Sacramento Kings (21-57) beat New Orleans Pelicans (25-53) 117-113 at home on Friday, April 3, after falling far behind. The Kings were down 11 at one quarter break and still finished 4 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pelicans struck first, taking the opening quarter 30-21 and a 9-point lead after one. The Pelicans kept the pressure on with a 36-34 second quarter, carrying a 11-point lead into halftime.
The Kings won the third 30-26 to stay in front, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Kings took the fourth 32-21; the Kings completed the comeback for a 117-113 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Kings grabbed 29.3% of their own misses, while the Pelicans recovered 17.1%. In a 4-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Pelicans did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 22.6 against 16.7. The Kings made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Kings produced 117 points per 100 possessions to 113 for the Pelicans.
Who carried the comeback
Maxime Raynaud was the game's biggest individual force for SAC: 28 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast on 11-14 shooting. His Game Score of 26.7 led everyone. His team was +1 with him on the floor.
Jeremiah Fears led the Pelicans with 28 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast on 10-19 shooting, good for a 23.9 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 53% for the Kings.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Kings are now 21-57, and the Pelicans are 25-53. The Kings last five before this game: L-L-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.