Breaking down Sacramento Kings’ playoff chances, roster, schedule after NBA All-Star break
The portion of the NBA schedule that follows the All-Star break is often referred to as the second half of the season, but that isn’t true at all.
The Kings, for example, have only 27 games remaining in an 82-game schedule after hitting the midway point five weeks ago. Time is of the essence and the Kings have little margin for error as they return from the break to face the Golden State Warriors on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Several teams in the Western Conference made major moves ahead of the trade deadline. The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angels Lakers for Anthony Davis. The Warriors landed Jimmy Butler in the trade that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat.
The Kings acquired Zach LaVine in a three-team deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Huerter to the Chicago Bulls. Sacramento made subsequent roster moves to add size, length and depth, trading for center Jonas Valanciunas and forward Jake LaRavia before signing free agent point guard Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
With an unprecedented series of blockbuster trades and little separation in the standings, the West is set up for a wild and unpredictable playoff race over the final eight weeks of the season. The top six teams in each conference will earn automatic playoff bids. The next four will go to the play-in tournament with an opportunity to secure one of the last two playoff berths.
The Kings (28-27) are ninth in a crowded Western Conference race coming out of the All-Star break. They are 4-3 since trading Fox and 15-9 since Doug Christie took over as interim coach when Mike Brown was fired Dec. 27.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (44-10) has opened up an eight-game lead in the West. The Memphis Grizzlies are second, a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets. Only six games separate the No. 4 Houston Rockets from the No. 10 Warriors. The Kings have the 10th-best odds in the West with a 24.6% chance of making the playoffs, according to Basketball Reference.
The Kings have the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA. They have two games left against the Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers. They also have to play the Thunder, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Kings should benefit from a couple of practices coming out of the All-Star break after struggling to adjust to roster changes following the trade deadline. Fox manned the point guard position for eight years after coming out of Kentucky as the No. 5 pick in the 2017 draft. Huerter started 149 of 182 games over three seasons in Sacramento.
The Kings are starting Malik Monk, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis with Keon Ellis, Valanciunas, Trey Lyles and LaRavia coming off the bench. Fultz could make his Kings debut against the Warriors on Friday. He has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, but he told The Sacramento Bee his health and his jump shot are better than they have been since he entered the league.
Monk has taken over as the starting point guard with mixed results, averaging 18.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.6 turnovers while shooting just 39% from the field and 29.2% from 3-point range. LaVine struggled in his first five games for the Kings before posting 32 points and 10 assists in a breakout performance against the New Orleans Pelicans in the final game before the break.
In their first seven games without Fox, the Kings ranked 11th in the NBA in scoring (119.0 ppg), 12th in field-goal percentage (.477), 16th in assists (26.4), 21st in 3-point shooting (.346) and 28th in turnovers (15.3). Defensively, they ranked 24th in opponent points per game (116.0) and 29th in opponent 3-point percentage (.377).
The Kings are trying to build chemistry and cohesion with LaVine in the lineup and Fox in San Antonio. Their offense could be explosive if they get on the same page quickly, but they don’t have much time to spare.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
