Jeremiah Fears leads Pelicans past Kings for first win of the season

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jeremiah Fears had 22 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 132-120 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.

Zion Williamson had an efficient night with 22 points on 10 of 12 from the floor, with all of those made shots coming in the paint. Trey Murphy III added 18.

The Pelicans bench outscored the Kings' reserves 41-8 in their first win of the year under new coach Jamahl Mosley.

Darius Acuff Jr. scored 34 points — the most of the rookie's young career — to go along with 12 assists for the Kings. Domantas Sabonis, who entered the night leading the NBA in rebounding at 16.5 per game, had 15 boards to go along with seven assists, but he also turned the ball over seven times.

Those turnovers plagued Sacramento all night, as the Kings gave it up 25 times.

Fears' big night in the backcourt was all the more important for the Pelicans, who were missing Jordan Poole (ankle) and Dejounte Murray (birth of child).

New Orleans never trailed after Murphy's free throws made it 55-54 with 1:45 left in the first half.

The Pelicans took a 63-61 lead into halftime, but the blew the game open with a 16-2 run in the middle of the third quarter that was led by six points from Williamson and five from Murphy in that stretch.

The Kings fell to 0-5.

Kings: At Memphis on Saturday night.

Pelicans: Host Atlanta on Saturday night.

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) slam dunks against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) drives down court against the Sacramento Kings in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, is off the air after the Republican spent about a quarter of what his campaign initially said it would invest to run it.

Ramaswamy said during a campaign appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, on Thursday that the ad’s planned run was over. His campaign originally said it would spend $4 million to air the ad, but data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact showed it spent roughly $1 million.

The divisive spot had provoked backlash in Ohio and among politicians of both parties across the nation. It featured Donna Arthur calling her daughter a lifelong liar. That was despite the two having not seen each other for nearly 50 years. Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her husband, their stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton when she was 12.

Ramaswamy had defended the ad, though a later version trimmed some portions.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said they supported the decision to air the ad. The president said he told Ramaswamy to leave it on the air, adding “she's fair game.”

Ohio governors past and present, alumni of Ramaswamy’s Catholic high school in Cincinnati and others had urged him to pull it down.

Acton’s campaign said the ad was “despicable” and should never have run and that Ramaswamy should have apologized.

Associated Press reporter Thomas Beaumont contributed from Des Moines, Iowa.

Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks at a campaign rally Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy arrives before President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Shoemaker Center at Ohio University Chillicothe in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)