A Royal Pain
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Three Teams That Could Keep Kings Out Of The Playoffs

By Anthony Cardenas

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 8: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings high fives his teammates during the game against the Miami Heat on February 8, 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 - FEBRUARY 8: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings high fives his teammates during the game against the Miami Heat on February 8, 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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Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Dallas Mavericks

There could and probably will be a slew of teams vying for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Timberwolves could rally and put together a strong season behind Karl-Anthony Towns. The Pelicans are full of young talent but might still be a few years away. The Thunder are in rebuild mode but still have a formidable starting lineup.

The team that looks most likely to contend for a playoff spot, on paper, is the Dallas Mavericks.

The drafting of potential superstar Luka Doncic a year ago put the Mavericks in a position to contend if they were able to surround him with the right pieces. They dove in to the trade market and acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks to give Doncic a star running mate. In a league full of dynamic duos, Dallas may have the duo of the future on their hands.

If Porzingis is able to stay healthy, the Mavericks should at least make progress in the standings this season, if not competing for a playoff berth. That is a big if. “The Unicorn” missed the entirety of last season with a knee injury, and missed nearly half of the season before that. A long list of injuries in such a short time makes Porzingis a high risk/high reward acquisition.

The Mavericks lack depth behind their two stars. Delon Wright, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dwight Powell round out the potential starting five, and the team is a Porzingis injury away from having Dorian Finney-Smith start at power forward.

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The final contest between the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings will take place on March 17th. It will be the last game of a four-game homestand for Sacramento before they hit the road for their final East Coast swing.

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