The Kings' rivalry with the NBA's Last Two Minute Report has taken another unfortunate but rather expected twist.
Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports revealed there have been 36 incorrect calls or non-calls included in the Last Two Minute Report following the Kings' 22 close games this season.
Only 13 of those 36 miscues by referees have gone in the Kings' favor. That is a 36.1 percent clip, the lowest percentage in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Kings' rival Los Angeles Lakers have seen the second-most favorable results in crunch-time officiating (61.8 percent). The Clippers (63.2 percent) top that list, while the Utah Jazz (38.1 percent) are the only other team besides Sacramento under 40 percent.
Rohrback compiled data from all NBA games through Jan. 28, meaning the Kings' 118-111 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night was not included.
The Last Two Minute Report from that game revealed a foul should have been called on Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell for making contact with Kings forward Trey Lyles on a drive with 1:40 remaining in overtime. That could have put the game out of hand much earlier.
For those keeping track at home, that means the Kings have received favorable calls in the Last Two Minute Report just 13 times in 37 attempts -- a 35.1 percent clip.
That same report also confirmed Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels did not travel on his game-tying 3-pointer Monday night, which baffled many Kings fans considering the incriminating evidence on the replay.
The Kings' two most memorable moments ending up on the wrong side of the Last Two Minute Report occurred early this season.
In Sacramento's 110-107 loss to the Miami Heat on Nov. 2, Tyler Herro hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left. The NBA confirmed the next day that a traveling violation should have been called.
NBA
Five days later, on Nov. 7, Kings guard Kevin Huerter missed a potential game-tying trey as time expired in a three-point loss to the Golden State Warriors, only to learn the next day that Klay Thompson should have been whistled for a foul.
"It hurts me to say this, but yes," Huerter said in November when asked if he has observed a difference in how Kings games are officiated. "Honestly. That is something that within the first [nine] games has been noticeable.
"I won’t say which teammates, but a couple of teammates that have been here said, 'Things are different here in Sac. We don’t get many calls. You’re going to realize in every game that things are different.' Honestly, it is something I’ve felt so far."
Neither of those missed calls would have guaranteed Kings victories, but they would have allowed Sacramento an opportunity to steal both games in overtime.
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Entering Wednesday's slate, only two games separate the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference from the No. 10 spot -- the final play-in tournament slot. The Kings (28-21) have just a 1.5-game cushion over the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers (29-25).
Every game matters. Every win matters. And every whistle in crunch time matters.
If you believe in the cliche that things even out over a full 82-game season, the Kings deserve plenty of favorable calls over their final 33 contests.