New Orleans turns a narrow halftime lead into its first victory
Jeremiah Fears finished with 22 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Sacramento Kings 132–120 at Smoothie King Center on October 29 in the United States, October 30 in the Philippines. New Orleans earned its first victory of the season and improved to 1–4.
Zion Williamson matched Fears with 22 points, converting 10 of 12 shots from the field. Trey Murphy III supplied another 18 as the Pelicans found enough scoring to keep Sacramento behind after halftime.
New Orleans led only 63–61 at the break. The separation came in the third quarter, when a 16–2 run changed the shape of the game. Williamson and Murphy combined for 11 points during that stretch, according to the Associated Press report carried by FOX 8.
The Pelicans scored 39 points in both the second and third quarters. Those 78 points across the middle two periods accounted for most of their total and turned an early deficit into a 102–88 advantage entering the fourth.
Sacramento rookie Darius Acuff Jr. scored 34 points, while Domantas Sabonis collected 15 rebounds. The Kings nevertheless fell to 0–5, leaving them still searching for their first win.
For New Orleans, Fears's contribution joined scoring, distribution and rebounding in the same performance. The game also showed the value of pairing his playmaking with Williamson's efficient finishing. The Pelicans still have ground to recover after their opening losses, but they now have a result to build on.