A Royal Pain
Fansided

3 “What If” Scenarios For The 2019-’20 Sacramento Kings

By Anthony Cardenas

SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Richaun Holmes #22, and Cory Joseph #9 of the Sacramento Kings hi-five each other against the Phoenix Suns on November 19, 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 - NOVEMBER 19: Richaun Holmes #22, and Cory Joseph #9 of the Sacramento Kings hi-five each other against the Phoenix Suns on November 19, 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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Sacramento Kings
Richaun Holmes Sacramento Kings (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

#2. What If The Kings Beat The Knicks On December 13th?

Some could consider the December 13th matchup with the New York Knicks as the negative turning point for the season.

The Kings had climbed out of the early hole that they had dug for themselves, and were coming off of an impressive string of victories that saw their record climb to a respectable 11-13 mark. They were entering what should have been a soft spot in their schedule, one that would presumably allow them to make up some ground in the Western Conference standings.

The Knicks were the visitors, and came in to the game with a 5-20 record. They were one of the most beatable teams in the NBA up to that point, and were traveling cross-country for a date with a team that was hungry to erase the bad memories from the early season. Sacramento was a 9-point favorite.

light. Related Story. 9 Players You May Have Forgotten That Played For The Kings

Things were going according to plan early on. By the 3:26 mark of the third quarter, the Kings had an 80-66 lead. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t score another point for nearly six minutes of game time. The Knicks finally took the lead with 4:30 to go and never looked back.

It was a shot in the heart for the Kings, who apparently didn’t learn their lesson when they lost a gimme to the Bulls two weeks prior. The loss began an ugly tailspin. Sacramento would win just four of its next twenty games to fall out of the playoff race, seemingly for good.

Would a victory against the Knicks have changed anything? Maybe. Maybe their confidence is higher and they have momentum going in to a game against Charlotte. Maybe things don’t fall apart like they did after the December 26th loss to the Timberwolves.

At worst, it would give the Kings an extra notch in the win column, and they’d be 2.5 games out at this point instead of 3.5.

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