Sacramento Kings: Hope Is Lost… For This Season

I finally give in. After their loss to the Brooklyn Nets, I do believe that the Sacramento Kings’ playoff chances have finally diminished.

It has been a rough stretch for the Sacramento Kings and their fans. The purple and white have played tough opponents as of late and have lost to most of them in heartbreaking fashion, digging themselves into a deep hole from reaching the playoffs.

Even though the Kings’ chances of breaking their postseason drought are slim, they do have a stretch of winnable games to end their season which can bring them back in the playoff conversation if everything goes right.

It started with the Chicago Bulls last Sunday in which the Kings won in comfortable fashion. And last night, a win against the Brooklyn Nets could have given them massive momentum going forward. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Worst Loss Of The Season?

After all the heartbreak the Kings have experienced lately, their loss to the Nets yesterday was their most agonizing yet. The purple and white controlled the majority of the game behind the excellent play of De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. For the game, the duo combined for 55 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.

The Kings had a lead as high as 25 points during the fourth quarter, but the Nets came charging back behind the eruption of D’Angelo Russell’s 44 points. The Kings still had the chance to endure the Nets’ rally but failed to make plays down the stretch while the Nets came up clutch, giving Brooklyn the 123-121 victory.

Final Thoughts

Yesterday’s game was definitely the worst loss of the season for the Kings, in my opinion. After this defeat, it is the first time where I really believed that the Kings’ playoff hopes are done and their season is ending soon.

But even though the Kings are enduring growing pains now, their future is still bright. Sacramento still has a ton of young talent that is getting better by the game as they keep showing their tenacious spirit against good competition.

Even though the Kings are unable to close in these competitive games now, I do have faith that they eventually will and take that next step forward in their rebuild. Unfortunately, this reality is likely happening next season rather than now.