After last night's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Sacramento Kings are officially on a four-game losing skid. And it's not going to get better any time soon. Five of the next six games are against some of the toughest teams in the league, including two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Kings got off to a rough start this season, which just seems to be getting worse. They're still sitting in the 13th spot in the Western Conference with a record of three wins and nine losses. Sacramento is barely staying ahead of the 14th-place Dallas Mavericks.
Keeping in mind that the rough spot the Kings are currently in is mostly their own fault due to bad roster construction, their current schedule is still pretty brutal. During the first eight weeks of the season, they are consistently fighting opponents a weight class or two above them.
All of this has led to four consecutive losses, three of which were absolute blowouts. That run of losses also included faceoffs against two recent former champions as well as a serious contender. Plus, all three teams have some of the best players in the league on their roster.
The Kings slide won't stop soon
Unfortunately for fans, the slide is not likely to stop in the near future. In the next six games, the Kings face the Spurs, the Nuggets, the Thunder, and the Timberwolves. Heck, they face the Timberwolves twice in that time. Three of those teams have already utterly blown the Kings out.
The only team the Kings have a real chance of beating in this six is the Memphis Grizzlies. At this moment, they're sitting at 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 4 wins and 9 losses. Plus, they're on their own three-game losing streak, which will likely get worse before they face the Kings.
Even then, nothing is a guarantee. Keegan Murray is still injured. Neither Zach LaVine nor Malik Monk played against the Hawks. Domantas Sabonis is nursing an injury that has the potential to keep him on the sidelines. Any missing piece of the roster could derail what little synergy the team has.
After the Kings get through this six-game gauntlet, they will spend the next few games taking on teams more at their level. Victory isn't assured, but at least they won't be playing against some of the best teams in the league. The Kings could definitely use a couple of confidence-boosting wins.