A Royal Pain
Fansided

Despite loss to Clippers, playoffs remain real possibility for Sacramento Kings

By Jonathan Roberts

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 1: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings helps Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings to his feet against the LA Clippers on March 1, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 1: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings helps Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings to his feet against the LA Clippers on March 1, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Friday’s loss was a big one, but the Sacramento Kings still have a very real chance and path to make the playoffs.

This one hurt for the Sacramento Kings and their fans. A brutal day on the boards and from the field, coupled with a questionable Harrison Barnes turnover late in the game added up to a heartbreaking loss Friday night, but it doesn’t kill their playoff hopes.

This game against the Los Angeles Clippers was big, not only because it would’ve given them a chance to gain ground on a team in front of them, but it would’ve given them another path to the playoffs. That didn’t happen, but the other path to the playoffs for the Sacramento Kings remains very much alive.

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The real path to the playoffs for the Sacramento Kings was to overtake the San Antonio Spurs, not the Clippers. The Clippers are potentially the team the Kings match up against the worst and they proved that by sweeping the Kings in the season series. The Spurs, however, are barely treading water at this point (3-7 over their last 10) and do not own the tie-breaker over the Sacramento Kings.

That’s the Kings’ path to the playoffs: overtaking the Spurs, not the Clippers. As it currently stands, the Sacramento Kings own a one game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for 9th in the standings and trail the now 8th seed Spurs by 2.5 games. The Kings will play the Lakers once more on March 24 and they’ll also play the Spurs once more on March 31, both are now must-win games, but they’ve been must-wins since the All-Star Break.

The Lakers aren’t good, if it wasn’t for LeBron James, they’d have been out of the playoff picture since December. They’re also 4-6 over their last 10 and have dropped a slew of games to bad teams—oh, and they have the 8th hardest remaining schedule in the league.

The Spurs, meanwhile, have been slipping as well and have the 18th most difficult schedule remaining and have lost both of their games against the Kings, with the last one to be played in Sacramento.

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In simpler terms, Sacramento’s path to the playoffs is very much alive and the only thing the Clippers loss changed was the amount of ground they need to make up to catch the Spurs.  Sure, tonight’s loss hurts and it hurts doubly when it was a game that the Kings could’ve won, but it isn’t a death blow—just a setback.

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