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Behind the Numbers presented by HUB International: Pelicans at Kings (1/4/19)

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A look at three key numbers related to Saturday’s game at Golden 1 Center between New Orleans and Sacramento (9 p.m. Central, Fox Sports New Orleans, ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM):

50: Lonzo Ball total points scored over the last two games, a Sunday win over Houston and a Friday defeat at the Lakers, his former team. A 27-point effort against the Rockets and 23 points at Los Angeles marked the first time in Ball’s three-year NBA career that he’s surpassed 20 points in two straight games. The point guard has been noticeably more aggressive in attacking the basket and has not hesitated to fire from the perimeter when he’s open, resulting in a career-best seven three-pointers made vs. Houston. The 22-year-old had not led New Orleans in scoring in any of its first 33 games, but did so both times over the past six days. Prior to Ball as leading scorer Sunday and Friday, the Pelicans were paced by Brandon Ingram 18 separate times. Jrue Holiday has been the team’s No. 1 scorer seven times, followed by JJ Redick (six times), Jahlil Okafor (once vs. Denver on Halloween) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (once at Miami).

2, 4: Games behind eighth place in the Western Conference for Sacramento and New Orleans, respectively. Despite both clubs being well under .500 and some very rough stretches recently, the Kings (13-22) and the Pelicans (11-24) are still within striking distance of playoff position, partly because there are seven West teams currently on firm ground, but there is a significant drop-off after that. It’s been more than 20 years since a West team qualified for the playoffs with a losing record (the ’97 Clippers got in at 36-46), but unless someone gets hot over the final 40-plus games of the regular season, it’s a distinct possibility this spring. New Orleans entered this week having played the NBA’s most difficult schedule according to NBA.com, but that means that the Pelicans’ second-half slate is much more manageable, at least on paper. Based on current records, 14 of New Orleans’ final 15 opponents on the 82-game docket have losing marks.

26, 30: New Orleans and Sacramento ranking among the 30 NBA teams in free throws made per game, respectively. If form holds Saturday, it should be a relatively quick game in Northern California, because neither the Pelicans nor the Kings spend much time halting play by going to the charity stripe. That New Orleans shortcoming was underlined Friday, when the Pelicans attempted only seven free throws in their 10-point loss against the Lakers, who took 28. Measured by attempts average, New Orleans is ranked 25th and Sacramento is 29th, but the Pelicans’ below-average shooting percentage has left points on the board on some nights.

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