With 20 games left in the 2023-24 regular season, wins are welcome either way.
Blowouts, buzzers, even ugly wins like the Sacramento Kings win 131-129 against Western Conference-worst San Antonio Spurs Thursday night-all triumphs look the same in the victory column.
The current state of the West is no picnic, with seeds five through seven separated by just one game as the season enters its final month of action.
For the Kings (36-26), a six-game homestand came at what many hope is the right time. Sacramento looks to use this heavy home stretch to solidify itself in the mix for a top-six spot and avoid the uncertainties of a Play-In scenario, but heading toward a playoff appearance like last year appears to be outside the realm of possibility.
That being said, the Kings are in a solid spot in the standings, and several matchups against teams around them should take place in the coming weeks.
Here’s how things are going in the Wild, Wild West Conference with 20 games remaining:
Western Conference standings
As for the teams near Sacramento in the standings, Phoenix and Golden State will have to navigate the near future without their All-Star guards.
Suns guard Devin Booker (sprained ankle) is expected to miss at least the next week of action as Phoenix prepares to face Eastern Conference powers Boston (twice) and Cleveland over the next six days.
The tenth-seeded Golden State Warriors, who are currently three games behind the Kings in the standings, are holding their breath as they await Stephen Curry’s MRI results after the two-time MVP guard exited late in the loss Thursday against Chicago with an ankle injury. .
Golden State has the second-strongest remaining strength on the NBA schedule, but may face a tough stretch ahead that includes matchups against Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks without its leading scorer.
As for the rest of the Western Conference standings, here’s what the remaining strength of schedule looks like for teams making the playoffs:
The Kings will be tested next week with home games against Milwaukee, Lakers and Knicks before beginning a soft three-game stretch of their schedule against sub-.500 teams (Memphis, Toronto and Washington).
After their game at Washington on March 21, Sacramento will play 10 of its final 13 games against teams with a record of .500 or better.
It might be a tough road to the playoffs, but the Kings have proven they can compete with the best of the best (8-5 against the West’s top four seeds). Now it will be interesting to see if Sacramento can handle the teams around them in the standings.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will continue its six-game homestand Sunday afternoon with a matinee against the Houston Rockets.
If the Kings want to keep pace in competitive Western Conference competition, they’ll have to redeem themselves against a Houston team that had their number in 2023-24.
The Rockets dominated the Kings in two early-season matchups at the Toyota Center, winning by an average of 21.5 points per game while holding Sacramento to just 93.0 points (on a 41/30 shooting split/ 64) during two victories.
Be sure to tune in here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all your Kings vs. Kings coverage. Rockets, starting at 1:30 p.m. PST on Game night before an alert at 3:00 p.m. PST from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming calendar
- Sunday March 10 – Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets – 3:00 p.m. PST
- Tuesday 12 March – Sacramento Kings vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Wednesday March 13 – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Saturday March 16 – Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Monday March 18 – Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 p.m. PST
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