New Orleans Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego highlighted a complete team performance following Thursday’s 133‑123 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
“That one was probably as about as team effort as it gets. A little bit of contributions from everybody,” Borrego said. “Especially on the road, you need team wins like this to get it done on the road.”
Borrego emphasized the impact of the second unit. “I’m really proud of the second unit at the bench. All four of them came out and played with great energy and focus. Got us back into the game, built a lead.”
The coach praised the team’s focus on limiting turnovers. “Early on I thought, here we go again…we refocused, brought attention to it, the guys responded and valued every possession from there on out,” he said.
Offensive rebounding was another area of strength. “There were a couple activity stats that you’ll look at: offensive rebounding, second chance opportunities, and the block shots as well. Karlo was fantastic tonight. Bryce brought an A effort. DQ and Fears again took another step as rookies,” Borrego said.
Borrego also highlighted Saddiq Bey’s role in stabilizing possessions. “It’s a luxury because it’s steady, it’s consistent. It’s tough to stop. It’s a calming force, a calming presence. There’s nothing like having that guy you could just dump it down to and something good’s going to happen,” he said.
He credited multiple players for the team’s fourth-quarter execution. “Z, Saddiq, Trey, obviously Herb hit a big shot. It was a full team effort to close,” Borrego added.
Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, adding nine rebounds and five assists, while Trey Murphy III contributed 21 points and Bey added 20 points. The Pelicans made 12 three-pointers compared to Sacramento’s eight.
Sacramento was paced by Precious Achiuwa’s 29 points and 12 rebounds, with Russell Westbrook recording 19 points and 10 assists. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points, moving into 19th place on the Kings’ career scoring list.
The Pelicans improved to 20‑44 and travel to face the Phoenix Suns Friday, while the Kings remain 14‑50 and will host the Chicago Bulls Sunday.
