It’s coming down to the wire. With 23 games left in the season, the Kings are in the thick of one of the wildest postseason chases in recent history.
While the Kings enter the week on the outside looking in, the battle for the playoffs will likely going deep into April.
We’ll track the progress of the teams near the bubble down the stretch. The list of potential teams in the race may change as we approach the end of the season. As of now, here is a look at the Kings, and the three teams surrounding them in the standings.
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Kings (31-28)
Current Position: 9th
The Week that Was
Sacramento went toe-to-toe with the three best teams in the Western Conference and finished the stretch 1-2. Two-point losses to both the Denver Nuggets and Warriors hurt, but the Kings had chances to win both games.
NBA
The Week Ahead
at Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers
The Kings play three games this week, all against opponents in the chase. They begin Monday in Minnesota with a battle against the shorthanded T-Wolves. Sacramento owns a 2-1 advantage over Minnesota on the season.
The Kings will return home to Golden 1 Center on Wednesday to host the Bucks (0-1), and then the Clippers (0-3) on Friday. In terms of games played and spacing, it’s a light week for Sacramento, although all three teams present their own sets of challenges.
Prediction
This is a big stretch. The Kings need to finish this week 2-1, although a 1-2 week would still leave them two games over .500 with a soft spot in the schedule ahead. If they stay focused, they can beat the T-Wolves and Clippers. The Bucks are a totally different story.
Clippers (33-28)
Current Position: 8th
The Week That Was
The Clippers reset their roster at the deadline, but still managed to post a 2-1 record with wins over the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies. They lost in Denver on Sunday, and then hopped a jet home where they’ll face the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Week Ahead
Dallas Mavericks, at Utah Jazz, at Kings, Knicks
It’s not an easy week for the Clippers. Dallas holds a 2-1 advantage in the season series, and has given Los Angeles trouble all year. They have yet to beat the Jazz, and they haven’t played the Knicks. They hold a 3-0 advantage over the Kings, but they are a different team without Tobias Harris scoring and Avery Bradley slowing down Buddy Hield.
Prediction
Steve Ballmer says his team is sticking in the race, despite the possibility of losing their first-round pick. Factoring in the back-to-back and the all important game in Sacramento on Friday, we’ll predict a split on the week as the best case with a 1-3 showing as a possibility. This could be the week the Clippers stumble.
Spurs (33-28)
Current Position: 8th
The Week That Was
Mired in a brutal eight-game road trip that spanned the All-Star break, the Spurs are struggling. Fresh off of losses to the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, San Antonio has lost six out of seven games and is tumbling down the standings.
The Week Ahead
at Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Spurs squeaked out a two-point win over the Nets in their only meeting this season, and they ran over the Pistons on the road in early January. This is their final meeting against the Thunder this season, with the winner taking the season series.
Prediction
This is a tough schedule for the Spurs. The game in Brooklyn is a getaway game after a long stretch away from home. The Pistons have won six of seven, and the Thunder currently sit in third place in the Western Conference standings. A 2-1 week would be overachieving. A 1-2 week is likely ,and an 0-3 stretch is possible if the Spurs don’t find their game quickly.
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Lakers (29-30)
Current Position: 10th
The Week That Was
The Lakers played the Atlanta Hawks, Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans over a three-game stretch, and they only beat the Rockets. That is the 2018-19 Lakers in a nutshell. LeBron James continues to attempt to motivate his teammates through the press. That time-tested method usually works out great for everyone involved.
The Week Ahead
at Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, at Phoenix Suns
The Lakers open their week with a battle on the road against the Grizzlies (1-1). They’ll return home to face the Pelicans (0-1) and Bucks (0-0) at Staples Center, before heading back out on the road to play the Suns (3-0).
Prediction
This isn’t a difficult week for the Lakeshow. The Grizzlies aren't the same team they were before the deadline, and it’s a toss-up whether tAnthony Davis shows up or not. Los Angeles should finish the week at 3-1, but this team is all over the place.