Fox, Kings Hold Off Pelicans 113-109
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — De'Aaron Fox scored 23 points, Richaun Holmes added 21 and the Sacramento Kings beat the New Orleans Pelicans 113-109 on Friday night to win their second straight and remain unbeaten on the road this season.
Harrison Barnes had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Buddy Hield scored 20 points for Sacramento, which has started the season with three road victories and two home losses.
Jonas Valanciunas had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who briefly led late in the third quarter before Hield scored six straight points to give the Kings the lead for good.
Brandon Ingram had 22 points and Devonte' Graham added 16. Graham's fourth 3 of the game pulled the Pelicans to 107-104 with 23 seconds to go. But the Pelicans had to start fouling early in Kings possessions after that, and Sacramento made went 6 of 6 from the foul line to close it out.
Playing without star forward Zion Williamson, who is recovering from offseason foot surgery, the Pelicans have dropped five of their first six games.
The Kings led 59-48 at halftime thanks to an 11-0 run to close out the second quarter. Barnes started the surge with a reverse layup, and Hield added a driving layup and a 3 before Fox's driving layup closed out the half.
Sacramento led by as many as 13 when Fox dunked early in the third. But New Orleans rallied later in the period when three straight mid-range jumpers by Ingram ignited a 13-2 run that included a 3 by rookie Trey Murphy III for a 70-69 lead.
Ingram capped the spurt with a layup, but momentum turned again when Hield hit a 3 and then was fouled by Murphy on another shot from deep.
The foul was ruled a flagrant-1, and after Hield made all three free throws, Davion Mitchell converted inside to give the Kings an 8-0 run and 77-72 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Kings: Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points and eight assists. ... Sacramento made 24 of 25 free throws, with Holmes hitting all seven of his. ... Shot 33.3% (9 of 27) from 3-point range.
Pelicans: Rookie Herbert Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, scored a career-high 12 points in 25 minutes. ... The Pelicans shot 26.5% from 3-point range (9 of 34) and also missed nine of 25 free throws. ... Turned 13 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. ... Dropped to 0-3 at home.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Dallas on Sunday for the third stop on a four-game road trip.
Pelicans: Host New York on Saturday night to close out a three-game homestand.
