The Kings are having fun on their ‘journey.’ That has led to wins and a playoff push

Well before this NBA season tipped off, Kings coach Dave Joerger spoke of the team’s “journey” back to winning.

There are still 17 games left, but it appears the journey is ahead of schedule.

When the Kings opened their four-game trip with a victory, it was more significant than just another win on the 82-game slate. Beating the New York Knicks on Saturday gave the Kings 33 wins, the most they’ve had in a season since 2015-16, when they finished 33-49.

It also put them over .500 in March. The last time the Kings had a winning record this late was 2005-06 — their last season in the playoffs.

Fans across the league have taken notice.

“It really feels good,” Joerger said Saturday. “People are talking about the Sacramento Kings and people are watching us around the country.”

The Kings (33-32) are seeking their first postseason berth in 13 years. That’s much better than what was expected. The Kings were projected to be one of the worst teams in the league. Instead, they’re six victories better than last season and have tied their most wins since their time with DeMarcus Cousins, arguably the franchise’s biggest name since the eight-year playoff run in the 2000s. The Kings traded Cousins during the 2017 All-Star Weekend.

Making the playoffs won’t be easy. Entering Monday, ninth-place Sacramento is four games behind the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs. Utah (37-28) is in sixth by percentage points (.569 to .567 for the Clippers and Spurs, each 38-29).

The Spurs beat the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks 121-114 on Sunday night. The Clippers and Jazz are both home Monday.

The Kings have averaged 28 victories a season during their drought, currently the longest in the NBA. Now, for the first time in more than a decade, talk about the team in March is about extending the season and not a lottery pick (although the Kings don’t have a first-rounder in the upcoming draft).

Even with the increased success, the Kings aren’t satisfied.

“We’re not where we’re going to be, we’re not where we want to be, but we sure are having fun,” Joerger said. “It’s just a really good vibe, and the city of Sacramento is on fire right now. We’re having a great time.”

The players concur but feel like it’s playoffs or bust.

“It’s definitely been great, but we’re not doing moral victories, and I feel like that’s kind of a moral victory if we don’t get in the playoffs,” Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said. “We know that we still have a long way to go.”

They can take another positive step toward that goal with a victory over the Washington Wizards (27-39) on Monday.

The Kings have done well against sub-.500 clubs since the turn of the calendar year. Sacramento is 10-3 in 2019 when facing squads they were above in the standings.

“It’s been cool but still humbling. We haven’t done anything yet because our goal is to get to the playoffs,” Kings guard Buddy Hield said. “We talk about it and we know what’s at stake. We just need to keep grinding and winning games. ... It should be a fun race coming down to the end.”

In the meantime, the Kings are having fun as the regular season winds down. It shows in their camaraderie on and off the court.

“It’s fun,” Fox said. “We have a lot of guys who enjoy being around each other, and that’s where it starts ... then, the chemistry on the court picks up as well.”

That was evident against the Knicks. The Kings started slow in their earliest tipoff of the season and fell behind by 15 before rallying and holding on.

“It’s huge,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said of the win. “In a playoff push like this, where every game matters ... starting off the trip with the right vibe and a positive win, that’s big.”

It came against the worst team in the league, but the Kings aren’t looking past any competitors. They say they need to keep stringing together victories to reach their goal.

“Any game is a must-win for us if we really want to go to the playoffs,” Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein said. “Every game is the same magnitude. We need to win. Simple.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2019 at 5:13 PM.