The New Orleans Pelicans came through against the Sacramento Kings Friday night, clinching the 8th seed in the West. Playing without Zion Williamson, the team saw 6 players scoring in double digits. Brandon Ingram led the Pels with 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists as Larry Nance Jr. cushioned the offense, posting 13 points while being at the bottom of the rotation. Nance was at his witty best during the post-game press conference as well.

The Pelicans will head to the Paycom Center to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 21. With that, when asked about facing the top seed in the West, Nance quipped, “Respectfully, I’m betting on the Pels.” However, possibly understanding the juxtaposition of his remarks, Nance rectified, “I’m not betting, no Jontay Porter,” leaving the interview panel in loud laughter. The 31-year-old then cleared, “I am not betting on anything. I don’t own a betting app. None of that.”

Jontay Porter, a former Toronto Raptors player, was projected to have active involvement in betting around the league. While the increase of fantasy betting is one of NBA’s business modules, player and staff associated with the league are not allowed to participate in it. With that, the league put a lifetime ban on Porter for sharing confidential information with bettors. Moreover, he also limited his playing time in certain games to fulfill the bets. It is the first time league has put the one-of-a-kind ban on a player in 70 years.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Sacramento Kings match player stats

The Pelicans game against the Kings began like many anticipated, with New Orleans hanging on the Kings’ 2 point lead in the first quarter. However, with consistent additions from the bench, Naji Marshall, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance, the squad soon clinched a 54-45 lead at the half, pinning the Kings down for the remainder of the game.

As Trey Murphy fulfilled Zion’s scoring with 16 points and 8 rebounds, Jonas Valanciunas continued to be their key player for a Kings matchup. Jonas put up 19 points and 12 rebounds, marking his 6th straight double double against Sacramento this season.

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The Kings saw De’Aaron Fox put up 35 points and 7 rebounds while Domantas Sabonis notched 23 points and game high 17 rebounds. Despite Harrison Barnes’ 17 points, the Kings were feeling Malik Monk’s absence throughout. They failed to find open lanes in Pelicans’ defense, ultimately residing heavily on the three-point line and shooting a dismal 26.8%. Moreover, Keegan Murray (4-12) and Keon Ellis (0-5) failed to add the much needed additional scoring presence, constantly putting the Kings just a little short of matching Pelicans’ score.