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The Sacramento Kings battled hard and tried to overhaul the Boston Celtics’ 19-point lead on Friday but eventually fell short 101-100. De’Aaron Fox scorched hot for 40 points on 16-29 shooting but couldn’t drag his team to the finish line. The Kings are now 0-2 in a crucial four-game stretch outside of California.
The defeat at the hands of the C's dropped Sacramento’s record to 44-33 for eighth in the Western Conference. While the Kings are wilting, the LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors, two teams trailing them, are sprinting to the finish line. Sacramento needs to wake up to halt its slide.
A guaranteed playoff spot is still within reach for Sacramento
Losses to the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics have forced the Sacramento Kings to drop in the Western Conference standings. Still, they are only two games adrift of the Phoenix Suns (45-31) for sixth spot and an outright playoff berth. With five games remaining in their schedule, it is still doable, but they will need cooperation from the Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans (45-31).
Phoenix’s next six games will all be against teams jockeying for playoff positions so Kevin Durant’s team is far from safe. A showdown between the Suns and the Kings on Apr. 12 could decide where they will be after the regular season.
New Orleans’ next six games aren’t as tough compared to the Suns, but they’re not a cakewalk either. The Sacramento Kings will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Apr. 11, which is needless to say, monumental for both.
Sacramento Kings will be hoping they don’t fall
The shadows of the LA Lakers (44-33) and the Golden State Warriors (42-34) loom large behind the Sacramento Kings. If they don’t start winning games, the two star-studded teams could chase them down. Both are in the midst of what could be a strong finishing kick to end the season.
Sacramento swept Los Angeles in the season series so if they end up with the same record, the Kings stay in front of them. De’Aaron Fox’s team, however, is tied 2-2 with the Dubs, so their conference record will be taken into account. The Kings are 29-19 against teams from the West, while the Warriors are 22-24. Sacramento has a big advantage here.
The bottom line is if they can’t move forward, they will be playing to win to avoid falling. They would rather win one game in the play-in tournament than beat teams twice for a slot in the playoffs.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
