Sacramento Kings Emirates NBA Cup Schedule Announced

Frontloaded Schedule

The Kings' tournament schedule couldn't start with a more difficult matchup, as they'll take on the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on November 7th. It's a tough draw for the Kings, who went 0-3 against the Thunder last season.

The only hope for the Kings is that they get off to a strong start to the year and that the Thunder are in a bit of a championship hangover. But the Thunder spent all last season showing they are one of the most consistent teams in the league, and will more than likely have the same approach on a nightly basis this year as they look to repeat as champions.

The Kings then follow up with game two against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 14th for another difficult matchup. Sacramento split the season series with the Timberwolves last season, with each team winning two games, but Minnesota's outlook on next season is much higher than Sacramento's heading into next season.

They also have Anthony Edwards, who is notoriously competitive and will likely give the game his all to try and lead the Timberwolves to the tournament playoffs.

Easier Games at the End, But Will It Be Too Little Too Late?

The Kings have their (theoretically) easiest two games at the end of their tournament schedule against the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz, but by that time, it could be too little too late.

Only eight teams will advance to the knockout round of the tournament: the winner of each group, and a wildcard from each conference. The wildcard will be the team from each conference with the best record in group play that finished second in their group.

That means that the Kings will likely need to win at least three of their four games, and if they lose the first two, all of the intrigue will be gone by the time they get to the Suns and Jazz matchups.

On the flipside, if the Kings are able to take down the Thunder and Timberwolves, they'll have an easier path to finish off the group play and put themselves in position for the knockout round.

No National TV

It should come as no surprise that none of the Kings' tournament games will be on national TV. Sacramento is in the dreaded zone of the NBA where they are good enough to hover around .500, but not good enough to compete.

That makes for limited storylines throughout the season on the national level, and with the NBA pushing the Emirates Cup as must-watch TV, the Kings don't necessarily fit that bill with the amount of intriguing matchups that will be on those nights.

It's only four games, and anything can happen, but the Kings have a tough road ahead if they want to compete for the third annual in-season tournament championship.