NBA play-in race: How can Sacramento Kings clinch homecourt advantage?
The Western Conference playoff race will come down to the final day of the regular season.
The same is true for the play-in race with the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks trying to procure a first-round home game while other teams try to avoid the proceedings entirely.
The Kings (39-42) and Mavericks (39-42) are locked into a first-round play-in matchup Wednesday with the loser facing elimination in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game. The team that finishes ninth will have homecourt advantage. The team that finishes 10th will have to win two games on the road to make the playoffs.
The winner of the Kings-Mavericks game will travel to play the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game. The winner of that game will advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the West.
Sacramento and Dallas have identical records going into the last day of the regular season. The Kings will play the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at home. The Mavericks will visit the Memphis Grizzlies.
A Sacramento win or a Dallas loss would give the Kings homecourt advantage. If they both win or lose to finish with the same record, the Kings will win the tiebreaker by virtue of their 3-0 record against the Mavericks in the season series.
The Mavericks have a much tougher matchup than the Kings in the regular-season finale. They have to go on the road to face the Grizzlies (47-34), one of four teams fighting for the last three automatic playoff berths in the West.
The Kings shouldn’t meet as much resistance against the Suns (36-45), who have been eliminated from postseason contention. Kevin Durant is out with an ankle injury. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal could be held out as well.
This story was originally published April 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
