A record-setting scoring barrage and a career day by Bogdan Bogdanovic helped the Kings earn their first win in the NBA bubble with a 140-125 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at Walt Disney World Resort's HP Field House.
Bogdanovic scored a career-high 35 points for the Kings (29-39), who were desperate for a win after losing their first three seeding games. Bogdanovic made 13 of 20 from the field and 6 of 9 from 3-point range.
De'Aaron Fox recorded a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists for the Kings, who enjoyed their highest-scoring game of the season. Harrison Barnes added 22 points and six rebounds.
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 24 points apiece for the Pelicans (29-39), who are now tied with the Kings in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Kings shot 53.8% from the field and made 16 of 33 from 3-point range. The Pelicans shot 58% overall and 41.2% from long distance, but they committed 17 turnovers and got outrebounded 39-31.
Bogdanovic waited until the last minute to make his first shot with 6.3 seconds left in overtime during Tuesday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He finished 1 of 15 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He was much better against the Pelicans _ right from the start.
This time, Bogdanovic buried two 3-pointers in the opening minute, one from the left wing and another from the right corner. He maintained the hot hand throughout the first quarter, going 7 of 7 from the field and 5 of 5 from 3-point range for 19 points before finally missing a half-court heave at the buzzer.
The Kings erupted for 49 points in the first quarter, setting a Sacramento-era record for points in a quarter. The previous Sacramento-era record for points in a quarter was 46, which had been done four times, but not since March 20, 2001, against the Houston Rockets.
The Kings led 49-39 at the end of the first quarter. They shot 58% from the field and 62.5% from 3-point range in the opening period, making 20 of 59 field-goal attempts and 10 of 16 from beyond the arc.
