A Royal Pain
Fansided

Sacramento Kings: Five Games To Circle On ’19-’20 Schedule

By Anthony Cardenas

SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 17: A shot of the Sacramento Kings logo on the court prior to the game against the Utah Jazz on October 17, 2018 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 17: A shot of the Sacramento Kings logo on the court prior to the game against the Utah Jazz on October 17, 2018 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Can Kings Get A Win When They Need It?

As mentioned previously, the final week of the season will be a brutal one for the Kings. Sacramento is slated to face some of the elite teams in the Western Conference, mostly as the visiting team. The final two games of the season are about as rough as it gets, having dates with the Lakers and Warriors in games 81 and 82.

One possible scenario that would help Sacramento immensely would be the late-season, playoff-preparation nights off from some of the elite players for Los Angeles and Golden State. If the seeding in the West is already set, don’t be surprised to see the Lakers rest both Anthony Davis and LeBron, or the Warriors rest Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

This makes the third to last game of the season, a date in Denver, potentially the most crucial game of the season. The Kings have not won in the Mile High City since January 2017, when DeMarcus Cousins and Danilo Gallinari were the leading scorers. Sacramento will be on game three of a huge four-game road trip, and could view this as the ultimate test for their season. This could be the game that either cements their playoff hopes or crumbles them altogether.

The Kings will have to find a way to contain Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who had a monster game in the last meeting between the two teams. The Joker put up 20 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and dished out 11 assists for a dominant triple-double.

Coming in to that game, Sacramento was clinging to the 8th seed. The lead changed hands multiple times in the 4th quarter, and Jokic tipped in the go-ahead basket with less than a second remaining to give the Nuggets the win. The Kings were knocked down to the 9th spot and never sniffed the playoffs again.

Next. 3 Kings Facing The Most Pressure In '19-'20. dark

If Sacramento can remain relatively healthy throughout a majority of the season, they should be within reach of that elusive playoff spot. Of all the games that are circled on the Kings’ calendar, Saturday, April 11th against the Nuggets should be circled twice.

Home/Kings News