Website reveals odds for NBA teams to make the playoffs; do they favor the Kings?
The Kings are one of nine teams with a realistic chance of securing one of eight Western Conference playoff berths, but the odds are not in their favor, according to a popular website.
Basketball-reference.com calculated playoff probabilities for all NBA teams Thursday as the league prepared to resume play after the All-Star break. The Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors are 100-percent playoff locks, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers at 98.8 percent, the Utah Jazz at 98.5 percent, the Houston Rockets at 95.3 percent and the San Antonio Spurs at 91.1 percent. The Kings return to action against the Warriors on Thursday night in Oakland.
The Los Angeles Clippers, currently one game ahead of the Kings for the eighth spot in the Western Conference, have a 79.1 percent chance. The Kings are next with a 23.1-percent chance of reaching the postseason for the first time since 2006. The Los Angeles Lakers, currently 10th in the Western Conference and two games behind the Kings, have just a 4.9-percent chance.
According to basketball-reference.com, playoff probabilities are based on 7,500 simulations of the remainder of the season. The website predicts the Kings will go 12-13 over their final 25 games to finish 42-40, three games behind the Clippers, who are projected to finish 45-37. The Lakers are expected to go 11-14 over the final 25 games to finish 12th in the West at 39-43.
