The New Orleans Pelicans saw their postseason hopes dashed away in a fairly lifeless performance against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday afternoon. Playing unlike a team fighting for its playoff lives, New Orleans came out of the gate and was punched in the mouth repeatedly as the Kings scored 49 first-quarter points, setting an ominous tone fo the day.
The Pelicans themselves had a tremendous offensive performance after struggling inside the bubble at times on that end of the ball. But none of that mattered as the Kings got in a groove early and never broke stride during the remainder of the game.
While New Orleans had a handful of small runs to cut the lead down to within a possession, the Pelicans never seriously threatened Sacramento and the Kings put the pedal to the metal in the fourth to win comfortably.
Much of the Pelicans problems came down to the first quarter and how they started. From the onset, they struggled defensively and showed their mindset on the night.
Here’s a look at three key plays from the first quarter alone on Thursday.