It wasn't Zion Williamson, and it was fine for the New Orleans Pelicans. At least on Friday.
On Friday, the Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 105-98 in the final game of the NBA Play-In Tournament, despite losing their most notable player from the previous game to a hamstring injury. As the No. 8 seed in the West, they will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
The loss ended the Kings' season, which continued through Friday with a cathartic win against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The team has yet to win a playoff series since 2004.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists on an impressive night for a team that went 49-33 in the regular season. Sacramento held an early advantage, but the Pelicans took control late in the second quarter against a passionate Smoothie King Center crowd and led by at least five points for the entire second half.
A 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter nearly had the game decided, but a late run by the Kings brought the lead back to single digits.
Now, the Pelicans have the Thunder to worry about, and Williamson is unlikely to help. He was diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will be re-examined in over a week, and the Pelicans will determine what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his squad will do without him. The Pelicans went 1-2 against the Thunder in the regular season.
Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at 8:30 p.m. CT in Oklahoma City (TNT).
Where do the Kings go from here?
The Kings entered this season with higher expectations than any other season in recent memory. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis led Sacramento to the No. 3 record in the West with one of the best offenses in the NBA.
That season ended in disappointment with seven consecutive losses to the Warriors in the first round, but there was hope left. The core of the team was young, with Fox, Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter all under the age of 27. It was natural to expect improvement, but the Kings instead saw stagnation.
It would be unreasonable to say the Kings have to go back to square one after two postseason disappointments, but they could go into this offseason thinking all they need are complementary pieces here and there. Obviously it can't be done. Life in the Western Conference is never easy.
The Kings are obligated to give the Hawks a first-round draft pick this year as part of the Huerter trade. If they want to further strengthen this core, it may be time to trade even more draft capital to slide a veteran somewhere between Fox and Sabonis.
