Did the Sacramento Kings make it to 2024 NBA playoffs?

The Sacramento Kings ended the regular season with a record of 46-36, which placed them ninth in the Western Conference. The Kings qualified for the NBA Play-In Tournament as the No. 9 seed and faced the No. 10 Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

Sacramento had the homecourt advantage because they had the higher seed despite having an identical record. The Kings won the tie-breaker, and it certainly helped on Tuesday, as they beat the Warriors 118-94. Keegan Murray had a game-high 32 points to lead Sacramento to play another matchup.

The Kings didn't qualify for the 2024 NBA playoffs just yet. They need to win another game to get the No. 8 seed in the West and the right to battle the top-seeded OKC Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

The Sacramento Kings travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans in another do-or-die matchup. The Pelicans fell short against the LA Lakers in their NBA Play-In Tournament game to determine the No. 7 seed. They have the homecourt advantage over the Kings because they have a better regular-season record.

Sacramento will qualify for the playoffs if they beat the Pelicans on the road. The bad news for the Kings fanbase is that they were swept 5-0 in the season series. Four of the five wins had a double-digit margin, but there's some good news.

New Orleans might be without Zion Williamson on Friday night. Williamson suffered a hamstring injury late in the loss to the Lakers. He's considered day-to-day and will likely be a game-time decision.

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When did the Sacramento Kings last make the playoffs?

When did the Sacramento Kings last make the playoffs?

The Sacramento Kings held the record for the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 years. They didn't make the postseason from 2006 to 2023. They snapped the streak last season when they qualified for the playoffs as the No. 3 seed following a breakout campaign.

However, the Kings failed to make it past the first round and suffered an upset loss to the Golden State Warriors in seven games. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis came back better than last season, but the team was very inconsistent and careless.

Sacramento didn't have to go through the NBA Play-In Tournament if they handn't blown so many leads this season. They have a solid foundation to contend in the West for years to come but had an opportunity to make the playoffs in back-to-back years.

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