Both teams enter 0-4, but Sacramento’s league-bottom No. 30 power ranking and porous defense put the pressure on the road side.
Both the Pelicans and Kings are 0-4, making this an early chance to stop the slide; New Orleans sits 26th in the power index, four spots ahead of Sacramento at 30th. The Kings have allowed 125.5 points per game and carry a minus-71 point differential, while the Pelicans score 116.25 per game and allow 122. New Orleans’ Zion Williamson has 87 points through four games, but Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis brings 76 points, 66 rebounds and 29 assists into the matchup. The deciding test is whether the Pelicans can contain Sabonis’ playmaking and rebounding while making Sacramento pay for its defensive leaks.