Sacramento @ New Orleans preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 7, 2018 ) New Orleans 114, Sacramento 101

All-Star Anthony Davis wants to be part of the MVP conversation and one strong outing is in the books as the New Orleans Pelicans prepare to host the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Davis contributed 32 points, 16 rebounds and a career-best eight assists as the Pelicans rolled to a 131-112 road win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Rockets star James Harden was awarded last season's MVP trophy prior to the game and Davis briefly eyed the hardware that he hopes might come his way after this campaign. "When it was sitting there before the game, I glanced at it, and then I had to lock back in for the game," Davis told reporters. "That stuff will take care of itself. As long as we keep doing what we're doing as a team, the rest will come on its own." The Sacramento Kings don't have any MVP candidates on their roster and they fell 123-117 to the Utah Jazz in their opener. "We played downhill, we played attacking," Kings coach Dave Joerger told reporters of his squad's performance. "We made mistakes. That's what young teams are going to do, but really proud of our team."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), FS New Orleans

ABOUT THE KINGS (0-1): Center Willie Cauley-Stein played inspired ball in the opener and had 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting and collected seven rebounds while going up against Utah defensive standout Rudy Gobert. "We put the ball to Willie and let him go at him," Joerger said. "He was aggressive and went to his chest most of the night." Rookie forward Marvin Bagley III recorded six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench in his debut and the No. 2 overall pick said afterward, "whenever my number is called, I have to go hard and do whatever I can."

ABOUT THE PELICANS (1-0): Davis was one of four New Orleans players to exceed 20 points in the opener as forwards Nikola Mirotic (30 points, 10 rebounds) and Julius Randle (25 points, eight rebounds) and guard E'Twaun Moore (21 points) also stood out. Mirotic bombed away from outside by making 6-of-8 3-point attempts while point guard Elfrid Payton registered a triple-double (10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in his team debut. "I was just playing the right way," Payton said in a postgame television interview. "My teammates were knocking down shots, cutting when they were supposed to cut. I'm just trying to contribute."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The teams split four meetings last season with the road team prevailing every time.

2. Payton has 11 career triple-doubles.

3. Sacramento F Harry Giles had two points in 10 minutes in his NBA debut after missing all of last season due to a knee injury.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 123, Kings 107