Kings at Pelicans
The Sacramento Kings look to continue playing the spoiler and win their fifth straight game to match a season high when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The Kings have knocked off playoff-bound Washington along with postseason hopefuls Charlotte and Phoenix during their recent surge. New Orleans has dropped four straight games, including a rough 95-93 decision against Houston on Wednesday, to fall 3 1/2 games behind eighth-place Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.
The Pelicans have managed 100 points just once in their last five games while leading scorers Tyreke Evans and Anthony Davis missed three contests combined with injuries. Davis (shoulder) is probable and will have to battle inside against DeMarcus Cousins, who has averaged 25.7 points and 11.7 rebounds the last three games. “We took a lot of hits through the season,” Cousins told reporters of Sacramento’s streak. “This is going to be a positive point for us.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE KINGS (26-45): Cousins led seven players in double figures with 24 points in the 108-99 victory at Phoenix on Wednesday as the starting lineup shot a combined 51.8 percent from the field. Cousins averages 23.8 points and 12.3 rebounds overall while Rudy Gay scores 20.9 per contest – 24.2 during the month of March. Guard Nik Stauskas, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft, scored 13 against Phoenix and has drained 6-of-12 from behind the 3-point arc over his last four outings.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (37-34): New Orleans was outscored 59-36 in the middle two quarters against Houston, erasing a 15-point lead after the first 12 minutes, and its rally came up just short. Davis came out of the game Wednesday briefly with an apparent shoulder injury, but returned to finish with 24 points and 14 rebounds while Tyreke Evans scored 28. The Pelicans will need more from others with their third and fourth-leading scorers – Jrue Holiday (leg) and Ryan Anderson (knee) – out.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New Orleans G Norris Cole is averaging 10.1 points in 17 games since being acquired from Miami, where he averaged 6.3.
2. Sacramento G Ben McLemore, who shoots 35.8 percent from 3-point range on the season, has drained 8-of-15 from behind the arc in the last four games.
3. The Kings have won four of the last five meetings, including a 99-89 triumph in New Orleans on Nov. 25.