Going to Disney World: Kings depart for Orlando to resume playoff push in NBA bubble
The Kings boarded a flight to uncertainty Wednesday when they left for Florida to join the NBA bubble. They don’t know how long they’ll be gone or what will transpire while they’re there, but they know their mission is to secure the coveted eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Kings posted photos of the team’s departure as players, coaches and staff boarded their flight Wednesday morning. General manager Vlade Divac, coach Luke Walton, De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica and Marvin Bagley III were all seen wearing masks as they moved from a bus to an airplane on the tarmac at Sacramento International Airport.
Sacramento is one of 22 teams that will restart the NBA season at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, where the Kings were expected to arrive Wednesday evening. All 37 members of each team’s travel party will have to quarantine in their hotel rooms for 48 hours and have two COVID-19 tests taken at least 24 hours apart.
At that point, Walton and his players will begin team workouts and scrimmages in preparation for their first game against the San Antonio Spurs on July 31. The Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans were in a virtual three-way tie for ninth in the Western Conference when NBA play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic March 11. Those teams will be trying to unseat the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Kings are 3½ games behind the Grizzlies. If they finish ahead of the Blazers and Pelicans and remain within four games of the Grizzlies, Sacramento and Memphis will meet in a play-in tournament to award the final playoff berth. The Kings would have to beat the Grizzlies twice in that scenario to secure their first playoff bid since 2006.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
