Kings vs. Pelicans Preview – By the Numbers

December 4, 2023

Let me start with this. I was wrong. Before the Kings first game against the Pelicans, I went on DLo and KC and said that Zion wasn’t the type of player that scared me on offense. I thought the numbers showed that he was too one dimensional and couldn’t impact the game in a big enough way on offense. I. Was. Wrong. Zion, if you’re reading this, please accept my apology and relax tonight.

In the two previous matchups, Zion has scored a total of 51 Points on 68.8% shooting. In prime Zion fashion, he showed that he is a force inside.

Especially when he goes left and drives to the basket, good luck stopping him. The Kings did a better job in the 2nd game, but will have to continue to build on that success if they hope to get the win tonight.

Another thing they will need to do differently is hit their 3’s, which much like stopping Zion inside, is much easier said than done against the Pelicans. They allow teams to shoot the most 3’s in the league with 40.0 per game, but hold their opponents to 33.4%, 28th in the NBA. In the first two games, Sacramento shot 26-of-89 (29.2%) from beyond the arc. That’s…not great.

If the 3’s are falling for the Kings, great, keep shooting. If not, they’ll have to adjust and get inside. The Pelicans are allowing teams to shoot 49.7% in the Floater Area and 45.4% from Mid-Range, good for 2nd and 4th highest in the NBA. The Kings meanwhile, are shooting 50.1% in the Floater Area, good for 2nd in the league.

That officially makes the Floater Area scoring the swing stat of the game. The Kings have multiple players who can score in that zone, led by De’Aaron Fox. The Western Conference Player of the Week is shooting 53.2% in the spot on a high volume of 7.2 attempts per game, 2nd most to only Nikola Jokic. Right behind him is Sabonis at 52.2%, Keegan at 50.0%, Barnes at 50.0%, and Huerter at 42.9%. Sacramento has multiple players that can stop just short of the basket, and they made need them all to put a priority on getting there tonight.

And now for some Malik Monk appreciation. Monk has been on a tear to start the season, averaging a career high 14.4 Points per game thanks in large part to his 41.3% 3P% on 6.1 attempts per game, both of which are also career highs. Throw in his 4.6 Assists, and the Kings have such a lethal player coming off the bench every game.

Monk already has 5 games of 20 or more Points, tied for most in the league this season off the bench, and the Kings have won all 5 games. When he is on and scoring, the Kings win. He had 8 and 10 Points in the previous matchup against the Pelicans, so an aggressive Monk could go a long way against the tough New Orleans defense tonight.