NBA unveils revised Kings’ schedule for seeding games at Walt Disney World in Florida
The NBA unveiled team-by-team schedules Friday for seeding games to be played beginning July 30 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, about 20 miles outside of Orlando.
The Kings are one of 22 teams that will converge on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to resume the 2019-20 NBA season. The Kings will play eight games in 14 days in their bid to end the NBA’s longest active playoff drought after 13 consecutive losing seasons.
Sacramento will resume its season against the San Antonio Spurs on July 31. The Kings will also play the Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans (twice), Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Kings coach Luke Walton said his team is eager to compete and utilize the NBA platform to speak out against social injustice.
“We are looking forward to this opportunity in Orlando, and getting back to playing the game we love,” Walton said in a news release. “We continue to work with the NBA to prioritize health and safety, while recognizing our responsibility to use our platform to bring attention and drive sustained action to issues of racial injustice.”
The Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and Pelicans were tied for ninth in the Western Conference — 3½ games behind the Memphis Grizzlies — when the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic March 11.
Each team will play eight games followed by a possible play-in tournament for the final playoff berth in each conference. Play-in games will be contested if the ninth-place team in either conference finishes within four games of the No. 8 seed. Under that scenario, the ninth-place team would have to beat the eighth-place team twice to secure the No. 8 seed. Play-in games will be held Aug. 15-16, if necessary.
Sacramento will play New Orleans Aug. 6 and Aug. 11, two games that loom large in the Western Conference playoff race. The Kings will not face the Grizzlies or Blazers.
“We are thankful for the chance to restart the season while also remaining focused on using our platform to make a positive difference and drive meaningful change in our community,” Kings general manager Vlade Divac said. “We continue collaborating with the league as we all work to resume play in a safe and responsible manner.”
Memphis has an abbreviated version of the daunting schedule it faced before play was suspended. The Grizzlies will face the Blazers, Spurs, Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
In addition to facing the Kings twice, the Pelicans will play the Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, Spurs and Magic.
The Blazers have a difficult path to the playoffs as well. They will play the Grizzlies, Celtics, Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Mavericks and Nets.
All Kings games will be televised locally by NBC Sports California. TNT will televise more than 40 games from Disney World, including the Aug. 11 game between the Kings and Pelicans. NBA TV will televise 14 games, including the Aug. 6 game between the Kings and Pelicans.
Kings upcoming schedule
July 31 vs. Spurs, 5 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 2 vs. Magic, 3 p.m. (NBCS, NBA TV)
Aug. 4 vs. Mavericks, 11:30 a.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 6 vs. Pelicans, 10:30 a.m. (NBCS, NBA TV)
Aug. 7 vs. Nets, 2 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 9 vs. Rockets, 5 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 11 vs. Pelicans, 6 p.m. (NBCS, TNT)
Aug. 13 vs. Lakers, TBD (NBCS)
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 4:24 PM.
