The Tribune

ROOKIE guard Buddy Hield had 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter as the Sacramento Kings defeated the winless New Orleans Pelicans 102-94 on Tuesday night.

“I’m not use to this at all. But it’s a long season,” Hield said.

Hield struggled in the first half, missing his first four shots and had two first-half points. “We just have to stay confident. We’re 0-8 right now, but we’re going to find a way and we are going to break through this. We have a lot of games left. All we need is a win to build our confidence up.”

Anthony Davis had 34 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Pelicans, who have started the season with eight straight losses, matching the 2004-05 team for the worst start in franchise history.

It’s been a miserable start to the season for New Orleans, which is without three starters - Jrue Holiday (personal reasons), Tyreke Evans (right knee) and Quincy Poindexter (left knee).

“We just have to play better. There’s just no way of getting around it,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “The effort is good and I talked to the guys about the fact that I love the way we are playing hard. But we all have to play smart. In some cases we are not playing smart.”

After Hield scored six straight points to pull the Pelicans within five, Afflalo hit a 3 and was fouled. He made the free throw, completing a four-point play and giving the Kings a 97-88 lead with 45 seconds left. Despite 14 points from Davis, the Pelicans could not cut into the Kings’ lead and still trailed 76-70 entering the fourth.

The Pelicans finish a three-game trip today in Milwaukee.