The Sacramento Kings are not for the faint of heart - the team has provided fans with a roller coaster of emotions this season mixed with incredible wins and performances while posting unbelievable losses. Coming off a record year as the 3 seed in the West, expectations were high for the Kings, and they have not met them yet - but there is still potential.
The Kings sit seventh in a fiercely competitive Western Conference - just 7 games separate the top 8, compared to 13.5 in the East. While the Kings' consistency issues have cost them a spot in a guaranteed playoff berth so far, a final stretch of dominance could lead the Kings to the playoffs, and possibly even a home-court advantage.
Kings C Domantas Sabonis had the following to say about the team's current record in a recent interview with Sean Cunningham of FOX40:
"Nobody is [happy with] our seeding and our standing. I feel like we're playing good basketball but we could definitely have won a lot more games, so that's our main focus as a group."
The Kings' first game following the All-Star break was a win, but in some ways, it felt like a loss. The Kings scraped by the last-place Victor Wembayama and the San Antonio Spurs 127-122 at home. Sabonis also had an illness and came down to a game-time decision, but ultimately proved to be a difference maker as he dropped his league-high 19th triple-double of the season.
The Kings' next five games are among the most important of the season, starting with the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, February 25. The Clippers have gotten the better of the Kings twice this season and are looking the best they have in a few years, making a win difficult but not impossible for a Kings team that is known to do abnormal things.
While the season is usually a pretty good indicator of playoff performance, it's ultimately all about how you end. If Sacramento can find a solid rhythm and play the basketball they are capable of playing, this team will make a dent in the playoffs this year and solidify themselves as a team to take seriously - and when the Kings are playing their best basketball, nobody is more fun to watch.
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