Kings vs Pelicans Picks and Prediction: Sacramento's Tanking Tour Hits New Orleans
Sacramento Kings, sitting last in the NBA at 12-42, travel to face 14th-placed New Orleans at Smoothie King Center on Monday, February 9, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET. With the Kings riding a franchise-record-tying 12-game losing streak and a brutal 13-game road skid while missing $143 million in salary to injury, Sabonis, LaVine, Monk, Murray, Hunter all sidelined, this matchup pits a youth-movement tank squad (3-23 away, league-worst offensive rating at 110.8 PPG) against a Pelicans team that just upset Minnesota behind Saddiq Bey's 30 and Zion's 29, has won four of eight, and sits 4-0 ATS as home favorites despite their own 14-40 record as both Western Conference cellar-dwellers jockey for lottery positioning in the 2025/2026 campaign's final stretch.
OC Staff - February 9, 2026, 7:30 PM EST
3 Minute ReadKings vs Pelicans Picks and Prediction: Sacramento's Tanking Tour Hits New Orleans
Kings vs Pelicans Recent Performance
Sacramento sits last in the league at 12-42 after Saturday's 132-126 home loss to Cleveland pushed their skid to 12 straight, matching the longest losing streak in the Sacramento era. They're 3-23 on the road and haven't won away from Golden 1 Center since mid-December. Nique Clifford dropped a career-high 30 points in Saturday's defeat, while Russell Westbrook added 21. The Kings have gone full youth movement with Clifford, Devin Carter, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell eating major minutes down the stretch.
New Orleans sits 14th in the West at 14-40. Their last outing was a 119-115 home win over Minnesota on Friday, snapping a three-game slide. Saddiq Bey went off for 30 points including clutch free throws, while Zion Williamson chipped in 29 with a huge three-point play late. The Pelicans have gone 4-4 in their last eight games and are 8-19 at Smoothie King Center.
Kings vs Pelicans Head to Head
This marks the first meeting between these Western Conference bottom-feeders this season. Sacramento has won three of the last four matchups, including a 123-118 home victory in February 2025. New Orleans holds the all-time edge 45-36 and has won seven of the last ten meetings dating back to the 2022-23 season. The last time these teams met, Domantas Sabonis had 27 and 16 in a Kings comeback win.
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Monday, February 9, 2026
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: Gulf Coast Sports, Pelicans+, NBCS-CA, NBA League Pass
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Kings vs Pelicans Odds
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Kings vs Pelicans Team News
Sacramento enters with a MASH unit disguised as an NBA roster. Domantas Sabonis (back), Zach LaVine (finger), De'Andre Hunter (eye), Malik Monk (illness), and Keegan Murray (ankle) are all ruled out. Doug McDermott is questionable with a shoulder issue. That's $143 million in salary sitting on the bench. The Kings are rolling out their 27th different starting lineup of the season, leaning heavily on rookies Raynaud (9.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG) and Cardwell while giving extended run to Clifford and second-year guard Devin Carter.
New Orleans is comparatively healthy despite their record. Only Dejounte Murray remains out as he recovers from last season's ruptured Achilles, though he's been practicing with the team and eyeing a potential post-All-Star break return. Zion Williamson is in the midst of the longest healthy stretch of his career at 27 straight games. Trey Murphy III leads the Pels at 22.2 PPG, with Derik Queen anchoring the middle at 12.3 points and 7.3 boards. Bey has caught fire lately with three 30-plus-point performances in 2026.
Prediction: Pelicans 117, Kings 108
Sacramento is on fumes, riding a 12-game losing streak and a 13-game road skid with half their rotation unavailable. New Orleans just knocked off Minnesota at home and has the roster continuity edge with everyone healthy besides Murray. The Kings' youth movement is real—Doug Christie played Clifford, Carter, and the rookie bigs heavy down the stretch Saturday while veterans sat—but asking them to end two double-digit streaks against a rested Pelicans team is a tall order. Sacramento ranks 27th in offensive rating (110.8 PPG) and 26th in defensive rating (120.6 PPG allowed). New Orleans isn't much better defensively (27th, 120.9 PPG allowed) but has the offensive firepower with Murphy, Zion, Bey, and Queen to exploit Sacramento's porous defense. Kings are 3-23 away from home and have covered just once in their last ten against New Orleans. Pelicans are 4-0 ATS as home favorites this season and 5-1 ATS overall when favored. Expect New Orleans to control this one wire-to-wire.
Best Bet: Pelicans -6.5 (-160) Click here to get the best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
The Kings can't stop anyone right now, they just gave up 132 to Cleveland at home and are bleeding 120.6 PPG on the season. Sacramento's 13-game road losing streak isn't a coincidence when you're missing five rotation players including your entire veteran backcourt. New Orleans is 4-0 ATS as home favorites and 5-3 ATS in their last eight overall. Murphy (22.2 PPG) and Zion (21.6 PPG on 58.1% shooting) should feast against Sacramento's 26th-ranked defense. The Kings are 9-17 ATS on the road and 6-12 ATS with a rest disadvantage. Christie's riding with the young guys, Clifford, Carter, Raynaud, Cardwell, which is great for development but brutal for covering spreads. Sacramento's covered once in ten tries against the Pelicans and has zero motivation beyond lottery positioning. New Orleans wins by double digits at home while Sacramento extends both losing streaks to 13.
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