SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings took just enough encouragement from a win on the final day of a long road trip to provide comfort that their season may begin to turn around now that they get to hang out at home for a while.Their first visitor is a New Orleans Pelicans team dealing with a campaign that seems to be spinning out of control already.The Pelicans, fresh off their seventh consecutive loss to start the season, roll into Golden 1 Center on Tuesday night. They bring with them a six-game winning streak against the host Kings, but thats about the only positive thing on their end.Sacramento hasnt had many high moments in the seasons first two weeks, but a win in the finale of a five-game road trip was one of them. The Kings 96-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday prevented a winless trek on their five-game roadie, the teams first of the year.Much needed, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins called it. It was a confidence boost and a momentum boost.Now they begin a stretch in which seven of their next eight are at home, with coach Dave Joerger hoping his teams defense against the Raptors is an indicator of things to come. The Kings held Toronto to 36 percent shooting and turned around the game by holding the Raptors to only 16 third-quarter points while surrendering a season-low 91.That effort came after Sacramento allowed an average of 108.3 points in the first four games of the trip, including a season-high 117 in a loss at Milwaukee on Saturday. Sacramento, which finished last in the NBA allowing 109.1 points per game a season ago, was 15th (102.9) through their first six games this season.We did what were hoping to make our identity throughout the course of the year, Joerger said. Thats getting after people defensively.Offensively, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins still provides the biggest production. His 25.5-point scoring average ranked ninth in the NBA through Sunday, and he also was averaging 9.1 rebounds, good for 19th. He clobbered the Pelicans in both categories a season ago, averaging 29.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in four games against them.The Kings didnt win any of them, however. New Orleans hasnt lost to Sacramento since Nov. 25, 2014.Continuing that success would be a welcome development for head coach Alvin Gentry, whose teams season-opening seven-game skid is one longer than a season ago. The Pelicans overcame a 21-point deficit at Golden State on Monday before losing 116-106. That loss followed two straight overtime defeats.As Gentry tries to hold his team together, its season appears to be crumbling. The Pelicans already were without guards Jrue Holiday (personal reasons), Tyreke Evans (right knee) and Quincy Poindexter (left knee), when they lost guard Lance Stephenson to a groin injury last week.New Orleans released Stephenson on Monday and signed guard Archie Goodwin to replace him.I dont know what to say. It just sucks, center Anthony Davis said of New Orleans early struggles. Weve got to keep fighting. Just keep fighting and find a way to win.Center Anthony Davis hasnt been the problem. He finished Mondays game against the Warriors averaging 30.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Davis has tallied 30 percent of New Orleans points and 28 percent of their boards.The Kings chances depend on stopping him. Davis, now in his third year out of Kentucky -- the same college Cousins attended -- averaged a team-high 27.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in three games against Sacramento a season ago.Sacramento will welcome back point guard Darren Collison after his eight-game suspension for a domestic violence incident. Michael Del Zotto Jersey . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Adam Oates Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. https://www.cheapducks.com/ . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Fake Ducks Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Frederik Andersen Jersey . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end.Throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL on TSN analyst and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan ranks the netminders after each game night. Number values assigned are out of five with five being the best performance. Tuukka Rask - 5 - Rask was visibly upset after the Brandon Sutter shot eluded him blocker side; that was his only blemish in another great performance. His positioning was great, his rebound control was elite, and his reads of the oncoming rush were perfect. One sign of being dialed in is his patience when he is in position on a shot and makes the save, he doesnt chase the rebound, but instead calmly stays down and readjusts to a second shot. This was shown perfectly in the third period on a Chris Kunitz combinationn of shots.dddddddddddd. Tomas Vokoun - 1 - Vokoun did not have a lot of help as the Penguins exploded in their own end again, but he somehow needed to find a way to save at least one or two of the three goals against. Its easy to blame the goalie after such breakdowns, but the team needs the goalie to step up and he did not. Marc-Andre Fleury - 1 - Fleury had the opportunity to play with "house money" in a mop up duty role and come in and slam the door shut, forcing Dan Bylsma to start him in Game 3. Instead, he showed the rust of not playing in a month and did not give the coach a reason to come back with him. The Brad Marchand and Johnny Boychuk goals are stoppable shots when he is on his game. ' ' '