New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson (1) drives to the basket against the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis in the first half at Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans on Thu Oct 29, 2026 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Pelicans Seize the Middle Quarters and Leave Kings With Too Much to Recover in 132-120 win

By Mauricio Segura

Sacramento Kings scored 120 points and still found itself trying to catch an opponent that had turned ordinary possessions into repeated scoring opportunities. New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Kings 132-120, using an explosive third quarter to stretch a narrow halftime advantage into a lead Sacramento never fully erased. The Pelicans had several contributors, but the combination of Jeremiah Fears directing the offense and Zion Williamson disrupting Sacramento’s ballhandlers was especially difficult to answer.

The Kings had plenty working in the opening quarter. Darius Acuff Jr. supplied 12 points, including a pull-up three and a transition dunk, while Precious Achiuwa attacked the basket and De’Andre Hunter provided a three-pointer and a dunk. Sacramento built an eight-point advantage before carrying a 30-24 lead into the second period. New Orleans had already received nine points from Trey Murphy III, but the visitors were getting enough stops to protect their lead.

That advantage dissolved almost immediately. The Pelicans scored 12 unanswered points, turning a 32-24 deficit into a 36-32 lead. Derik Queen connected from beyond the arc and later hit a jumper, Saddiq Bey made three free throws, and Herb Jones converted a steal into a layup.

Bennedict Mathurin then added a three-pointer as New Orleans continued to find openings. Acuff kept Sacramento competitive, reaching 21 points before halftime, and Hunter connected on a three at the second-quarter buzzer. The Kings trailed only 63-61, but New Orleans had scored 39 points in the period.

The third quarter exposed the cost of Sacramento’s mistakes. With New Orleans ahead 67-65, the Pelicans produced a 21-4 run that pushed the margin to 88-69. Fears repeatedly moved the ball into scoring positions, connecting with Jones for a layup and Williamson for a dunk.

Fears also hit a three, Murphy followed with a three and a driving layup, and Williamson scored after stealing the ball. Sacramento called multiple timeouts, but possessions continued to unravel under defensive pressure. The Pelicans scored another 39 points in the quarter and led 102-88 entering the fourth.

Sacramento still found ways to make the finish interesting. Alex Karaban hit two three-pointers, Acuff added another, and Achiuwa finished inside as the Kings reduced the deficit to 111-103 with 8:20 remaining. The response was immediate.

Fears assisted on a Karlo Matković dunk, scored four straight points and watched Bryce McGowens finish a steal with a dunk. New Orleans led 123-106 with 4:45 left. Sacramento later closed to 125-117, but Matković answered with a layup and Williamson followed with a steal and dunk, extinguishing the comeback.

Fears finished with 22 points, 13 assists and four blocked shots, an unusual defensive contribution for a guard. Williamson scored 22 and recorded five steals, while Murphy contributed 19 points. Jones added 16, and seven Pelicans reached double figures. Their offensive balance allowed New Orleans to keep scoring even when Sacramento briefly narrowed the margin.

Acuff’s 34 points and 14 assists led Sacramento, with Hunter and Achiuwa providing 24 points each. Achiuwa also collected nine rebounds and four steals. Zach LaVine scored 21, and Domantas Sabonis pulled down 15 rebounds with seven assists, although he finished with nine points and seven turnovers.

The Kings outscored the Pelicans in the first and fourth quarters, but the damage from the middle two periods was too extensive. Sacramento had enough offense to remain dangerous; New Orleans had the defensive disruption and finishing ability to make that offense insufficient.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.