Leading by 22 points with just three minutes remaining in Monday’s third quarter at Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento Kings appeared well on their way to a victory that would put them a half-game out of fifth place in the Conference standings. West. .
Instead, disaster struck again.
The Kings (34-26) suffered their latest collapse, this time in the form of a 113-109 defeat against the Chicago Bulls it ended with Sacramento winning 46-20 in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Any loss at this point in the season is costly, but Monday’s loss had a little more sting when you factor in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles moved to within 1.5 games of the Kings in the standings, with a crucial clash between the old rivals taking place on Wednesday in Southern California.
With 22 games remaining in the regular season, Sacramento doesn’t have time to dwell on a single loss as it aims to keep pace in a crowded Western Conference.
Domantas Sabonis says the Kings need to “lock in” and prepare for a big game Wednesday against the Lakers, who are now just 1.5 games behind them in the standings.
“There are 22 games left. You can’t really think about it anymore. There is no time.”
– Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 5, 2024
Western Conference standings
After Monday’s collapse, the Kings stumbled to seventh place in the standings instead of closing within a half-game of the fifth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.
It will be a game of musical chairs between the fifth through tenth seeds over the next five weeks, with six teams separated by 3.5 games. Sacramento is currently just 1.5 games behind the fifth seed, while also being two games behind the tenth seed Golden State Warriors.
From a schedule standpoint, the Phoenix Suns will have an uphill battle in the coming weeks as they face the toughest slate of remaining games, starting with a matchup against the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
Phoenix will also face a busy schedule without All-Star guard Devin Booker, who is expected to miss one to two weeks of action with a sprained right ankle. suffered during the Suns’ defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For Sacramento, the road ahead is anything but simple.
One game removed from a road victory over the then-top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, the Kings turned around and blew a 20-point lead against a sub-.500 team at home. Taking care of business against teams below them in the standings is imperative at this point in the season, but Sacramento continues to show a sense of stability.
The Kings will play 14 of their final 22 games at Golden 1 Center, including six straight games after Wednesday’s game in Los Angeles.
Can Sacramento stabilize in the standings before the teams around them heat up and grab the final two spots in the top six, or are they destined for a mid-season Play-In appearance? april ?
It’s time to find out who the 2023-24 Sacramento Kings are. If Monday’s performance represents the identity of this team, it’s a very bad sign for the weeks to come.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will travel to Los Angeles on Wednesday night in an attempt to create more space between themselves and the 10th-seeded Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
With a win on Wednesday, the Kings can secure the regular season series and any tiebreaker scenarios between them and the Lakers. Sacramento has beaten Los Angeles in both games this season, with the most recent game taking place at crypto.com Arena on November 15.
Be sure to tune in here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all your Kings vs. Kings coverage. Lakers, starting at 6:00 p.m. PST on Game night before an alert at 7:30 p.m. PST from downtown Los Angeles.
Upcoming calendar
- Wednesday March 6 – Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7:30 p.m. PST
- Thursday March 7 – Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 p.m. PST
- 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
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