After a must needed win versus Memphis two days ago, the New Orleans Pelicans have put themselves back into the chase for the ninth seed. That win dragged the Grizzlies back into the fray as they’ve lost all four of their games so far.
The bunching up effect around the eighth and ninth seeds will increase the drama in the remaining five seeding games. The Grizzlies are still holding on to the eighth seed but all five of the extra Western Conference teams are within four games of Memphis, theoretically, everyone is still alive.
This matchup against Sacramento allows New Orleans to squash the Kings’ chances of making a late run and vault themselves into the play-in game.