With another late season victory, this time over the Toronto Raptors, the Sacramento Kings are all but confirmed to be outside of the top three draft lottery spots. And it was two former Raptors, DeMar DeRozan and Precious Achiuwa, who led the Kings to this unlikely and impactful victory.
Toronto has been having a solid year, due in no small part to the incredible defense of Scottie Barnes. He has led his team both on and off the court, setting the tone for the entire roster. If it wasn't for Victor Wembanyama, Barnes would be a shoo-in for 2026 Defensive Player of the Year.
While which teams have made the postseason in the Eastern Conference are set in stone, the exact seed positions are still up in the air. That includes which teams are in the Playoffs and which teams have to fight their way through the Play-In. The Raptors are one of those teams.
Toronto is currently in a battle with the Sixers over sixth and seventh place in the East. Whoever gets sixth will skip the Play-In. Unfortunately for the Raptors, Philadelphia has the tie breaker. As such, every win matters in a big way, so losing to the Kings wasn't exactly what Toronto was looking for.
Achiuwa and DeRozan take the Raptors to school
Considering the Kings are one of the worst teams in the league, Toronto probably figured they were picking up an easy win. Instead, Precious Achiuwa dropped a massive double-double on them of 28 points and 19 rebounds while DeMar DeRozan kept pace with 28 points of his own.
The two former Raptors were the top stars on the Kings, leading them to a 123 to 115 victory over Toronto. This loss dropped the Raptors into seventh place and pushed the Sixers in to sixth. Technically, they have the same record but that brings the conversation back to the tie breaker.
With only six games left, that means the Raptors basically have to win all of them to climb out of the Play-In and stay out of it. Losing their last two games to the Pistons and Kings hasn't helped that situation at all. Ironically, this win isn't great for the Kings, either, at least from one perspective.
If the Kings want a top three lottery pick, and it honestly seems like they don't, winning a game this late in the season isn't helpful. They are currently choosing a lottery pick fourth, and even losing the last five games of their season likely won't be enough to get them back into the top three.