The Sacramento Kings took an absolute beating from the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, losing 132 to 101. But this blowout is more important than one game. In the NBA Cup, point differentials are important, and the Kings likely just got knocked out of contention.
For those who don't know, the NBA Cup is an in-season tournament that the league set up a couple of seasons ago. Specific regular-season games are part of the tournament, leading to the semi-finals and finals in Las Vegas. The winning team gets a big, shiny trophy.
The inaugural winners were the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks. Naturally, it was LeBron James making even more history in his improbably long career as the leader of the first team to win. This season's winner would be the third team to pick up the NBA Cup.
Honestly, the NBA Cup is fun, but it isn't really necessary. The NBA brought it in because they were trying to make the first part of the season more exciting. The All-Star Game, the trade deadline, and the playoffs all happen after Christmas. In that way, the Cup has been a success.
Not so much for the Kings
The first NBA Cup game for the Kings this season was a tough haul. They were taking on the Thunder, who are the reigning NBA Champions, led by the reigning NBA MVP. With both Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray out, the chances of this game going Sacramento's way were slim.
Yes, the loss definitely hurt the Kings' chances of winning the NBA Cup, but how much they lost by is also a problem. Point differentials and total points scored are used in tie-breaking situations. If the Kings rebound and get back in the mix, losing a tournament game by 31 points is an issue.
Sacramento isn't out of the tournament yet. They'll have to lose a few more games for that to happen. But every time they lose by this much in a tournament game, they push the deciding factor in the case of ties out of their reach. For a team that only wins by a few points, that's a problem.
Being that the Kings currently have a record of three and six, and have yet to string two wins together this season, they're not really considered NBA Cup contenders. Regardless, it's tough to watch them lose like that and know that it hurts their chances of making a statement.