Sacramento is 0-4. New Orleans is 0-4 too, after losing 104-91 at home to Denver last night. One of them leaves Smoothie King Center with a first win.
The Pelicans play for the second night running, and the Kings have had a day off. That makes this Kings vs Pelicans game closer than the records of last season suggest.
How to watch Kings vs Pelicans in Canada
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans |
| Date | Thursday 29 October 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT |
| Venue | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans |
| Records | Sacramento 0-4, New Orleans 0-4 |
| Rest | Sacramento with 1 day off, New Orleans on the second night of a back-to-back |
Canadian broadcast details for this one were still to come at the time of writing. Check our how to watch the NBA in Canada page before tip-off.
Kings vs Pelicans odds
There’s no Canadian line on this one yet. NBA prices tend to settle on game day, once the injury report does. The NBA betting hub explains where you can bet legally in Canada.
Sacramento can score but can’t stop anyone
The Kings have conceded 121, 128, 123 and 130, and they have lost all four by eight points or more. Zach LaVine averages 27.2 points, including 37 against Memphis. Darius Acuff Jr., the seventh pick in June, scored 33 against Portland.
Domantas Sabonis is pulling down 16.5 rebounds a game, with 7.2 assists. Keegan Murray will be re-evaluated in 10 to 14 days with an ankle injury, and Ben Simmons has had surgery on a torn Achilles.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Sacramento Kings | New Orleans Pelicans |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 22-60 | 26-56 |
| Net rating | -9.9 | -4.4 |
| Offensive rating | 109.6 | 112.1 |
| Defensive rating | 119.5 | 116.5 |
| Pace | 101.3 | 103.0 |
| Three-point % | 34.0% | 34.7% |
Rates from last season, when both missed the playoffs. New Orleans was 5.5 points per 100 possessions better.
New Orleans has lost close games, then a flat one
Three of the Pelicans’ four defeats came by six or fewer, one of them in overtime in Denver. Last night was different: 91 points and seven threes from 30 attempts. Denver led by 19 after one quarter.
Zion Williamson scored 25 last night and is at 21.8 a game. Dejounte Murray is at 17.8. Bennedict Mathurin, the Montreal forward who signed in September, plays about 17 minutes off the bench.
New Orleans won two of three last season
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Apr 2026 | Sacramento 117-113 | Golden 1 Center |
| 5 Mar 2026 | New Orleans 133-123 | Golden 1 Center |
| 9 Feb 2026 | New Orleans 120-94 | Smoothie King Center |
The Pelicans won 120-94 at home in February. The two games in Sacramento were decided by four and 10 points.
Recent form
Team news
| Club | Player | Status | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | Ben Simmons | Out, achilles | No timetable |
| Sacramento | Dylan Cardwell | Out, calf | Re-evaluation in one week, reported on 26 Oct |
| Sacramento | Keegan Murray | Out, ankle | Re-evaluation in 10-to-14 days, reported on 26 Oct |
| Sacramento | Maxime Raynaud | Out, knee | No timetable |
| New Orleans | Yves Missi | Out, knee | No timetable |
| New Orleans | Jordan Poole | Day to day, ankle | See the official report before tip-off |
Jordan Poole’s ankle is the one late call. He left last night’s game, and the official NBA injury report will show whether he plays.
The NBA injury report covers the rest of the league.
Probable starting fives
Players to watch
Zach LaVine, Sacramento. Twenty-two or more in every game. He is the Kings’ best chance of a fast start against tired legs.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans. Ten-of-14 shooting last night. He has scored 17 or more in all four games.
Score prediction
Pelicans 118-111 Kings. Last season’s ratings make New Orleans about an eight-point favourite at home. The back-to-back takes a couple of points off, and Sacramento’s defence gives most of them back.
Kings vs Pelicans prediction
Neither defence has stopped anyone yet. New Orleans has more depth, and the Kings have allowed 125.5 points a game.
Our pick: New Orleans to win, the Pelicans at -5.5 or shorter. No total pick. Both defences say over and the back-to-back says under, and we can’t separate them.
Our player prop is Domantas Sabonis over 6.5 assists. He has 8, 10, 3 and 8, and the Pelicans have no settled centre to take him away. Covers’ NBA prop board had 6.5 at 7:51 a.m. ET.
The NBA games tonight board lists Thursday’s other games.
Tip-off is 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT on Thursday 29 October 2026 at Smoothie King Center, New Orleans.
No Canadian network listed it when we checked. NBA League Pass shows out-of-market games in Canada.
No. Both are 0-4, so one of them gets a first win tonight.
No. He has an ankle injury and will be re-evaluated in 10 to 14 days.
Pelicans 118-111. We back New Orleans to win, at -5.5 or shorter.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.