The Sacramento Kings are still searching for their first win, and Thursday’s trip to New Orleans suddenly has the feel of a crossroads game. Sacramento dropped to 0-4 after a 27-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and now it heads into a matchup with another winless team in the Pelicans.
That matters more than it sounds this early in the season. The Kings and Pelicans are two of just three teams without a win, with the Brooklyn Nets rounding out that group, so this one could end up carrying real weight in the lottery picture down the line.
Sacramento, though, is not walking into Smoothie King Center with a full deck. The Kings are still dealing with major injury issues and have ruled out four players for Thursday’s game.
Ben Simmons is out with a right Achilles tendon repair/surgery.
Keegan Murray remains the biggest absence to track. The starting forward is expected to miss the next week or two, and Sacramento has felt that loss in a frontcourt that is already stretched thin.
Precious Achiuwa has filled in for the Kings, but with him starting, there isn’t a true backup center available. With Raynaud and Cardwell also sidelined, the team’s size and depth inside are taking a hit.
That lack of frontcourt support has made life harder for Sacramento in the paint, and it’s why this stretch is so frustrating for a team that badly needs some stability. The Kings are still waiting to see what they can look like when Murray, Raynaud, and Cardwell are all available again.
For now, they have to make do shorthanded, and this may be one of their better chances to steal a win. New Orleans is playing the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, but the Pelicans are still close to full strength otherwise. They’ll be without starting center Yves Missi, though the rest of the roster remains intact.
That absence gives Sacramento a possible opening, but it won’t come easy. Veteran center DeAndre Jordan has moved into the starting role and has been productive, so Kings star Domantas Sabonis won’t be facing a front line that’s completely soft.
Still, both teams are desperate to get in the win column, and that’s what makes Thursday’s game so interesting. Sacramento will need production from its supporting cast if it wants to leave New Orleans with its first victory, and the Pelicans want the same thing.
Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday in New Orleans. One team will finally break through.
In Other News...
Kings Rookie Puzzle Is Changing How Darius Acuff Jr. Looks
Darius Acuff Jr.s first stretch with the Kings has already become a useful measuring stick for how much lineup context can shape a rookies early numbers. The point guards shooting has been uneven and the defensive side has brought its own challenges, but the larger picture has been just as revealing: Sacramento still has not found a five-man group that has posted a positive net rating in more than five minutes together this season.
Within that bigger mess, the combinations are starting to matter more than the raw box score. Acuff appears to function better when Zach LaVine is off the floor, while rookie Emanuel Sharp has given the group some much-needed spacing and defensive lift. For a team still searching for the right blends, those smaller lineup clues may end up telling the story of how Acuff is handled next. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Is Forcing A Bigger Sacramento Question
Darius Acuff Jr. has wasted no time making his presence felt in Sacramento, and not just because he was the No. 7 overall pick. Through the first four games of the season, the Kings rookie is averaging 21.5 points and 4.8 assists, a start that has highlighted both his scoring touch and his ability to create for others, even if the efficiency still comes and goes. The bigger takeaway has been the manner of it all, with Scott Perry praising Acuffs competitive edge as the teenager continues to show he is not intimidated by the pace or the spotlight.
Acuff also carved out a little franchise history with the highest single-game scoring output by a teenager in a home game, another sign that his ceiling may be arriving faster than expected. For the Kings, the real question now is how quickly that individual production can settle into something more sustainable within a team trying to build around him. Acuff has made clear he sees winning as the priority, and that makes his early surge feel less like a hot start and more like the beginning of a much larger Sacramento conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Have Every Right To Question Christie's Rotation Decisions
The Kings latest meeting with the Spurs offered another reminder of how tightly the margin can shrink when the rotation gets lopsided. Sacramentos starters carried the load in both minutes and shot attempts, while the bench was asked to do a lot less and produced even less than that. Against a San Antonio group that got more from its reserves, the imbalance stood out as much as the final flow of the game.
For a team still trying to settle into a workable rhythm, those choices matter. When the starters are playing heavier minutes and taking more of the offense, the pressure on the second unit only grows, especially if the bench is not matching the efficiency or punch of the opponents reserves. It leaves the Kings with a familiar question hanging over their game management: whether the rotation is helping them find answers, or just making the same problems easier to spot. [Read more 🡒]