Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for April 19 | 2024 NBA Play-in Tournament

The New Orleans Pelicans host the Sacramento Kings in the final Western Conference play-in game of the season. The winning team qualifies as the eighth seed and faces the OKC Thunder in the first round. New Orleans lost 110-106 against the LA Lakers in the seventh-seed game, while Sacramento beat the Golden State Warriors 118-94 in the eliminator.

The two teams met five times in the regular season, with the Pelicans sweeping the Kings 5-0. They most recently met on April 11, with New Orleans winning 135-123. Zion Williamson led the team with 31 points, six assists and three steals, while De’Aaron Fox had 33 points and eight assists for Sacramento.

The Pelicans lead the all-time regular-season series 44-33.

The Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans game kicks off at 9:30 p.m. EDT at Smoothie King Center. Fans can watch the game live on TNT. The game will also be streamed live on NBA League Pass and fuboTV.

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Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Injury Reports

Sacramento Kings injury report for April 19

The Kings will be without Malik Monk (knee) and Kevin Huerter (shoulder) on Friday. The two have been out for some time, and Sacramento must be used to their absence by now, as seen by the team’s blowout win against the Warriors.

New Orleans Pelicans injury report for April 19

As if losing to the Lakers wasn’t bad enough, the Pelicans were dealt a massive blow when Zion Williamson had to leave with three minutes left in the final quarter. Williamson, who had 40 points and 11 rebounds in his first career postseason game, suffered a hamstring strain. The injury will keep him out for at least two weeks.

Here’s a look at the Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans starting lineups and depth charts for April 19.

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Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Starting lineups and depth chart

Sacramento Kings starting lineup and depth chart

Position	Starter	2nd	3rd
PG	De'Aaron Fox	Davion Mitchell	Keon Ellis
SG	Keon Ellis	Davion Mitchell	Colby Jones
SF	Harrison Barnes	Colby Jones	Sasha Vezenkov
PF	Keegan Murray	Trey Lyles	Harrison Barnes
C	Domantas Sabonis	Alex Len	Trey Lyles

New Orleans Pelicans starting lineup and depth chart

Position	Starter	2nd	3rd
PG	CJ McCollum	Jose Alvarado	Dyson Daniels
SG	Brandon Ingram	Dyson Daniels	Trey Murphy III
SF	Herbert Jones	Trey Murphy III	Naji Marshall
PF	Naji Marshall	Herbert Jones	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
C	Jonas Valanciunas	Larry Nance Jr.	Cody Zeller

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Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans: Key matchups

Domantas Sabonis vs Pelicans big men

When Domantas Sabonis is at full flow, he creates easy shots for his teammates. The onus will be on New Orleans’ Jonas Valanciunas to restrict Sabonis. The key, however, is to not foul Sabonis as it gets defenders into foul trouble, while giving the Lithuanian trips to the free-throw line.

Zion Williamson could have exerted some pressure on Sabonis in the defensive end, but with the former No. 1 draft pick out, the Kings' double-double machine should have a fairly easier job protecting the rim.

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Kings bench vs Pelicans bench

The game could finally come down to this contest. The absence of Williamson makes this an evenly matched game, with Sacramento arguably having the better Starting 5. The fact that Brandon Ingram has just returned from injury only helps the Kings’ cause. However, bench scoring is one area where New Orleans could get the better of Sacramento.

Malik Monk led the Kings bench for most of the season. With Monk out injured, Sacramento lacks a scorer off of the bench who can take over when De’Aaron Fox takes a breather. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are blessed in this category with Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. If they have a good game, New Orleans should win at home.