Kings playoff scenarios: These games likely to determine Sacramento’s first-round matchup
Sunday is the last day of the regular season and the Kings still don’t know who they will play in the first round of the playoffs.
The Kings will close out their regular-season schedule when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at Ball Arena. That game will have no real meaning as the Nuggets have clinched the No. 1 seed and the Kings have secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Sacramento’s first-round opponent will likely be determined by the outcomes of two games involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. If those teams win, the Clippers will be the No. 5 seed and the Warriors will be the No. 6 seed. That would set up a first-round series between the Kings and Warriors.
This appears to be the likely outcome at this point. The Clippers will be heavy favorites over a Suns team that has announced plans to sit Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton and Cameron Payne. The Warriors will be big favorites over a Trail Blazers squad that has shut down Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic and other key rotation players.
There are other scenarios that would make the Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans the No. 6 seed, but those are far more unlikely.
Here’s what we know for sure as the Kings prepare to make their first playoff appearance since 2006.
Current seed: No. 3
First-round matchup: Golden State Warriors
If the playoffs started today, the Kings would play the No. 6 seed, the defending NBA champion Warriors, in the first round. The Kings went 1-3 against the Warriors this season, including a 119-97 loss on Friday in which Sacramento rested four of its top rotation players, including All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Kings coach Mike Brown spent the past six seasons as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant with the Warriors, who have won four titles in the past nine years.
Homecourt advantage: Yes.
The Kings have clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which begin April 15. They will play Game 1 of their first-round series at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The seven-game series will have a 2-2-1-1-1 format with the first two games being played in Sacramento, the next two games being played on the road and alternating sites for the last three games, if necessary.
Tickets: Are they available?
Tickets for Sacramento’s first-round playoff series will go on sale to the general public at noon Monday. Season ticket holders received priority access to playoff tickets. StubHub, a ticket exchange and resale company, has tickets listed for sale with prices ranging from $471 for the upper level to $7,312 for a second-row seat in the lower level.
