Path to the NBA playoffs? What the Kings must do to get there and who stands in their way
With 30 games remaining, the Kings have already surpassed the projected win total oddsmakers set for them before the season, wildly exceeding expectations to become one of the biggest surprise stories in the NBA.
They have put themselves in position to end the league’s longest postseason drought after 12 losing seasons, but the path to the playoffs will be a steep climb over the next nine weeks. Along the way, they will encounter championship contenders and clash with two in-state Western Conference rivals who are trying to prevent them from reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The Kings (27-25) need one more victory to eclipse last season’s win total. They have won three of their last four, including the first two games of a six-game home stand that continues when they entertain the San Antonio Spurs (32-22) on Monday night at Golden 1 Center. They will play host to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, the Miami Heat on Friday and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday before visiting the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 13 in their final game before the All-Star break.
“The West is extremely tough,” Kings guard Buddy Hield said following Saturday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. “In the East, we’d probably be a fifth (or) sixth seed, but it’s fun being in the West. We’re a young team, but we’re competitive and we’re not going to let it go, man. We’re not going to hold back. We’re going to keep fighting and prove our doubters wrong.”
The top eight teams in each conference will make the playoffs. Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves got into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West with a 47-35 record. The Portland Trail Blazers reached the postseason with 41 wins in 2017, but the Kings will likely need a minimum of 44 to finish in the top eight.
Going into Monday’s game, the Kings are ninth in the Western Conference, one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers (29-25) and a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (27-26) in what appears to be a three-team race for the eighth seed.
Sacramento will play 17 of its last 30 games against teams that currently have winning records. The Kings are 18-4 against sub-.500 teams and 9-21 against teams with winning records. Their remaining schedule consists of 19 games against Western Conference teams and 11 against Eastern Conference teams. They are 14-19 against the West and 13-6 against the East.
The Kings’ remaining schedule includes three games against the Rockets, two against the Boston Celtics and one against the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and 76ers. Sacramento also has several easier matchups, including two against the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, who may be on the verge of trading star center Anthony Davis, and one game against the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Clippers, who have lost three of four following Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, will play 17 of their last 28 against teams with winning records. They are on a six-game trip that will take them to Charlotte, Indiana, Boston and Minnesota over the next week.
The Lakers have lost five of their last seven. They will play 19 of their last 29 against teams with winning records. They are also on a six-game trip with stops in Indiana, Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta over the next eight days.
Sacramento will play host to the Clippers on March 1 after losing the first three games in the series, including a 122-108 loss Jan. 27. By winning the season series, the Clippers would hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Kings should the teams finish with identical records.
The Kings will visit the Lakers on March 24. The Lakers have won two of three against Sacramento, but the Kings prevailed 117-116 when Bogdan Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer at the buzzer on Dec. 27 at Golden 1 Center.
This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 5:33 PM.