Explaining Sacramento Kings’ NBA Western Conference play-in scenarios
The NBA play-in scenarios are pretty simple for the Sacramento Kings with two games remaining, but much of the Western Conference playoff race will be decided in the final days of the regular season.
The Kings have clinched one of the last two play-in spots in the West. The Dallas Mavericks have clinched the other.
The Kings (39-41) are ninth in the West with a one-game lead over the Mavericks (38-42). They will play each other in the first round of the play-in tournament on Wednesday.
The team that finishes ninth will play host to the No. 10 team. The winner of that game will travel to play the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game on April 18 for the right to advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. The Kings need one more win or one loss by the Mavericks to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the play-in tournament.
The Kings will play the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. The Mavericks will play the Toronto Raptors on Friday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
The rest of the West
The Oklahoma City Thunder (66-14) has clinched the No. 1 seed in the West. The Houston Rockets (52-28) have locked up the No. 2 seed.
The Los Angeles Lakers (49-31) are third with a one-game lead over the Denver Nuggets (48-32) and Clippers (48-32). The Grizzlies (47-32) are sixth followed by the Golden State Warriors (47-33) and Minnesota Timberwolves (46-33).
The Grizzlies were scheduled to host the Timberwolves on Thursday in a game with major playoff implications for all teams involved.
Predicting who the Kings will play should they win their first-round play-in game is impossible at this point. The Nuggets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Warriors and Timberwolves could all finish seventh or eighth in the West.
