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Ingram, Valanciunas lift Zion-less Pelicans past Kings and into the playoffs

Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans booked a spot in the NBA playoffs with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in a play-in tournament elimination game on Friday night. The Pelicans won without leading-scorer Zion Williamson, who strained his left hamstring right as he reached the 40-point mark in a play-in loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Undaunted, New Orleans used a balanced approach to improved to 8-5 this season without Williamson in the lineup.